Shloka 26

Adhyāya 6: Śibira-dvāra-sthita Bhūta-varṇana and Aśvatthāmā’s Śaraṇāgati to Mahādeva

Devanagari script

न हि दैवाद गरीयो वै मानुषं कर्म कथ्यते । मानुष्यं कुर्वतः कर्म यदि दैवान्न सिध्यति

Transliteration

na hi daivād garīyo vai mānuṣaṃ karma kathyate | mānuṣyaṃ kurvataḥ karma yadi daivān na sidhyati ||

Translation

દૈવ કરતાં માનવ કર્મ શ્રેષ્ઠ કહેવાતું નથી. મનુષ્ય પ્રયત્ન કરીને કર્મ કરે તોય, દૈવ અનુકૂળ ન હોય તો તે સિદ્ધ થતું નથી।

Word by Word

नnot

हिindeed/for

दैवात्from fate/from the divine (dispensation)

गरीयःgreater/weightier

वैindeed/certainly

मानुषम्human

कर्मaction/deed

कथ्यतेis said/is called

मानुष्यम्human

कुर्वतःof (one) doing

कर्मaction/deed

यदिif

दैवात्from fate/from the divine (dispensation)

नnot

सिध्यतिsucceeds/is accomplished

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?

The verse contrasts human agency (mānuṣa-karman) with destiny (daiva), asserting that human effort is not considered stronger than fate; without the concurrence of daiva, actions fail to reach completion.

What is happening in the narrative?

In the Sauptika Parva’s aftermath of the night-raid and its consequences, Sañjaya reflects on causality and responsibility, framing events through the tension between personal effort and the overpowering role of destiny.