Shloka 12
खाण्डवप्रस्थप्रवेशः तथा इन्द्रप्रस्थनिर्माणवर्णनम् | Entry into Khāṇḍavaprastha and Description of Indraprastha’s Founding
दैवं च परमं मन्ये पौरुषं चाप्यनर्थकम् | धिगस्तु पौरुषं तात ध्रियन्ते यत्र पाण्डवा:,“मैं तो भाग्यको ही प्रबल मानता हूँ, पुरुषका प्रयत्न निरर्थक है। तात! हमारे पुरुषार्थको धिक्कार है, जब कि पाण्डव अभीतक जी रहे हैं!
daivaṃ ca paramaṃ manye pauruṣaṃ cāpy anarthakam | dhig astu pauruṣaṃ tāta dhriyante yatra pāṇḍavāḥ ||
Vaiśaṃpāyana dit : «Je tiens le destin pour souverain, et l’effort humain pour vain. Honte à la vaillance dont nous nous glorifions, mon enfant—puisque les Pāṇḍavas sont encore maintenus en vie !»
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse voices a fatalistic judgment: destiny (daiva) is declared stronger than personal effort (pauruṣa). Ethically, it highlights the tension in the epic between human agency and divine/inevitable outcomes, often spoken in moments of frustration when plans fail.
The speaker laments that despite hostile efforts, the Pāṇḍavas continue to survive. This survival is taken as evidence that fate protects them, leading to a bitter denunciation of one’s own ‘human effort’ as ineffective.