Shloka 123

Adhyāya 10: Śrutakarmā’s Engagements; Prativindhya–Citra Duel; Drauṇi Advances toward Bhīma

Devanagari script

उपाया: पण्डितै:ः प्रोक्तास्ते तु दैवमुपाश्रिता: । “विद्वानोंने अभीष्ट अर्थकी सिद्धि करानेवाले चार उपाय बताये हैं--राग (राजाके प्रति सैनिकोंकी भक्ति), योग (साधन-सम्पत्ति), दक्षता (उत्साह, बल एवं कौशल) तथा नीति; परंतु वे सभी दैवके अधीन हैं

Transliteration

upāyāḥ paṇḍitaiḥ proktās te tu daivam upāśritāḥ |

Translation

Sañjaya dit : «Les sages ont enseigné divers moyens d’accomplir ce que l’on désire ; pourtant, tous ces moyens reposent en dernier ressort sur le destin. L’effort humain—qu’il s’agisse de loyauté, de ressources, d’habileté ou de politique—peut être conçu et poursuivi, mais son aboutissement dépend de l’ordonnance invisible de la fatalité.»

Word by Word

उपायाःmeans, methods

पण्डितैःby the learned (men)

प्रोक्ताःdeclared, stated

तेthey (those)

तुbut, however

दैवम्fate, destiny

उपाश्रिताःhaving resorted to, dependent on

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

Sañjaya

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Even well-devised human strategies (upāya) do not guarantee success; their outcome is ultimately contingent on daiva (destiny). The verse frames an ethical realism: one should act wisely and diligently, yet remain aware that results may lie beyond control.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya, narrating events to Dhṛtarāṣṭra in the Karṇa Parva context, reflects on the limits of counsel and strategy in war: although the wise prescribe methods for achieving aims, the unfolding of the battle is governed by fate as well as effort.