Shloka 22
Śaṅkha–Likhita Upākhyāna: Daṇḍa, Confession, and the Purification of Kingship (शङ्ख-लिखितोपाख्यानम्)
विच्छिद्यन्ते समारब्धा सिद्धान्ते चापि दैवत:ः । कृते पुरुषकारे तु नैनः स्पृशति पार्थिवम्
vicchidyante samārabdhā siddhānte cāpi daivataḥ | kṛte puruṣakāre tu nainaḥ spṛśati pārthivam ||
वैशम्पायन बोले—आरम्भ किए हुए कार्य दैव के प्रतिकूल होने पर कट जाते हैं और अनुकूल होने पर सिद्ध हो जाते हैं; परन्तु यदि राजा ने अपनी ओर से यथोचित पुरुषार्थ कर दिया हो, तो—कार्य सिद्ध न भी हो—उसको पाप का स्पर्श नहीं होता।
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse balances destiny (daiva) with human initiative (puruṣakāra): outcomes may depend on fate, but moral accountability depends on whether one has made proper effort. A ruler who acts with due diligence and right exertion is not stained by sin merely because the result fails.
In the didactic discourse of the Śānti Parva, Vaiśampāyana states a general principle for governance and conduct: enterprises can fail or succeed according to destiny, yet ethical blame does not attach to a king who has fulfilled his duty through appropriate personal effort.