Shloka 48
Śānti-parva 168: Śoka-nivṛtti-buddhi (The Cognition that Reduces Grief) and Piṅgalā’s Nairāśya
न कर्मणा55प्रोत्यनवाप्यमर्थ यद्भावि तद्वै भवतीति वित्त । त्रिवर्गहीनो5पि हि विन्दते<र्थ तस्मादहो लोकहिताय गुहाम्
na karmaṇā prāptum anavāpyam arthaṃ yad bhāvi tad vai bhavatīti vitta | trivarga-hīno 'pi hi vindate 'rthaṃ tasmād aho loka-hitāya guhām ||
Yudhiṣṭhira dit : Nul gain ne peut être assuré par le seul effort s’il n’est pas destiné à être obtenu ; ce qui doit advenir advient en vérité—tenez-le pour certain. Même celui qui est privé des trois buts de la vie peut encore acquérir des richesses ; aussi, hélas, pour le bien du monde, cette vérité demeure cachée comme une caverne, difficile à discerner pour les hommes.
युधिछिर उवाच
Educational Q&A
Effort alone cannot secure what is not destined; what is fated will occur. The verse highlights the tension between human striving (karma) and inevitability (bhāvi), warning that outcomes—especially regarding wealth—do not always correlate with moral or goal-oriented living (trivarga).
In Śānti Parva’s reflective discourse, Yudhiṣṭhira voices a sober observation about how results in the world often appear governed by destiny rather than merit or disciplined pursuit of dharma, artha, and kāma, and he laments that this hard truth remains ‘hidden’ from common understanding.