Shloka 9
Bhīma–Draupadī Saṃvāda on Restraint, Protection, and the Kīcaka Threat
Virāṭa-parva, Adhyāya 20
दैवेन किल यस्यार्थ: सुनीतो5पि विपद्यते । दैवस्य चागमे यत्नस्तेन कार्यो विजानता,उत्तम नीतिद्वारा सुरक्षित पदार्थ भी यदि दैव प्रतिकूल हो तो उसके द्वारा नष्ट हो जाता है; अत: विज्ञ पुरुषको दैवको अनुकूल बनानेका ही प्रयत्न करना चाहिये
daivena kila yasyārthaḥ sunīto 'pi vipadyate | daivasya cāgame yatnas tena kāryo vijānatā ||
Vaiśampāyana dijo: «En verdad, por la fuerza del destino, el propósito de un hombre —aunque esté guiado por la mejor prudencia— puede aun así venirse abajo. Por eso, cuando la llegada del destino está ya cercana, el hombre perspicaz debe esforzarse por hacerlo favorable.»
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
Even the best human planning and policy (sunīti) can fail when destiny turns adverse; therefore the wise should also strive to align themselves with what is divinely allotted—through right conduct, restraint, and timely, discerning action—so that fate becomes favorable rather than obstructive.
In Vaiśampāyana’s narration within the Virāṭa Parva, this verse offers a reflective maxim: it comments on how outcomes in human affairs are not secured by strategy alone, and it frames the ensuing events with the idea that destiny can overturn even well-protected plans.