Shloka 45
दैव–पुरुषकार-प्रश्नः
Daiva–Puruṣakāra Inquiry: Fate and Human Effort
विपुलमपि धनौघं प्राप्य भोगान् स्त्रियो वा पुरुष इह न शक्त: कर्महीनो हि भोक्तुम् । सुनिहितमपि चार्थ दैवतै रक्ष्यमाणं पुरुष इह महात्मा प्राप्तुते नित्ययुक्त:
vipulam api dhanaughaṃ prāpya bhogān striyo vā puruṣa iha na śaktaḥ karma-hīno hi bhoktum | su-nihitam api cārthaṃ daivatai rakṣyamāṇaṃ puruṣa iha mahātmā prāpnute nitya-yuktaḥ udyoga-hīnaḥ ||
Bhishma dit : «Quand bien même un homme obtiendrait un immense flot de richesses—avec les plaisirs et même des femmes—s’il est dépourvu d’effort, il ne peut en jouir en ce monde ; car sans action, nul ne devient véritablement jouisseur. Mais l’homme à la grande âme, toujours maître de lui et sans cesse appliqué à l’entreprise, peut obtenir même une richesse soigneusement enfouie et gardée par les dieux».
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Enjoyment and attainment are not secured merely by possessing wealth; without personal effort (udyoga/karma) one cannot truly benefit from resources. Steady, disciplined endeavor enables a person to gain even difficult or divinely-guarded wealth.
In Bhishma’s instruction on dharma and right conduct, he emphasizes the primacy of human initiative: laziness renders even great acquisitions fruitless, while constant effort empowers a noble person to achieve what seems protected or unreachable.