Shloka 1
दैव–पुरुषकार-प्रश्नः
Daiva–Puruṣakāra Inquiry: Fate and Human Effort
/ अपन ह< बक। है २ >> षष्ठो5 ध्याय: दैवकी अपेक्षा पुरुषार्थकी श्रेष्ठताका वर्णन युधिछिर उवाच पितामह महाप्राज्ञ सर्वशास्त्रविशारद । दैवे पुरुषकारे च किंस्वित् श्रेष्ठतरं भवेत्
Yudhiṣṭhira uvāca | Pitāmaha mahāprājña sarvaśāstraviśārada | Daive puruṣakāre ca kiṃsvid śreṣṭhataraṃ bhavet ||
Yudhiṣṭhira dit : «Ô Aïeul, toi qui es d’une sagesse profonde et versé dans tous les śāstras, entre daiva (le destin, la dispensation divine) et puruṣakāra (l’effort humain), lequel est véritablement supérieur ?»
युधिछिर उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse frames a central ethical-philosophical inquiry in the Mahābhārata: whether moral and practical outcomes are governed chiefly by daiva (destiny/divine ordinance) or by puruṣakāra (human effort). It sets up a discussion on responsibility, agency, and how dharma is pursued amid uncertainty.
In the Anuśāsana Parva, Yudhiṣṭhira approaches the Grandsire Bhīṣma—renowned for wisdom and mastery of śāstra—and asks him to adjudicate a debated question: which is superior, destiny or personal effort.