Shloka 12
दैव–पुरुषकार-प्रश्नः
Daiva–Puruṣakāra Inquiry: Fate and Human Effort
तपसा रूपसौभाग्यं रत्नानि विविधानि च । प्राप्पते कर्मणा सर्व न दैवादकृतात्मना
Bhīṣma uvāca — tapasā rūpa-saubhāgyaṁ ratnāni vividhāni ca | prāpyate karmaṇā sarvaṁ na daivād akṛtātmanā ||
Bhishma dit : Par l’austérité, on obtient beauté et bonne fortune, ainsi que des gemmes précieuses de toutes sortes. En vérité, tout s’acquiert par l’action propre ; mais celui qui ne se discipline pas et ne s’en remet qu’au destin n’obtient rien.
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Results such as prosperity, beauty, and valuable attainments come primarily through tapas (disciplined effort) and karma (personal action). Mere dependence on fate, especially without self-discipline, yields no achievement.
In Bhishma’s instruction (Anushasana Parva), he emphasizes an ethical principle for the listener: cultivate self-control and sustained effort, rather than passively attributing outcomes to destiny.