Adhyaya 60: Self-Assertion, Daiva, and the Rhetoric of Inevitability (उद्योग पर्व)
अशक्या देवसचिवा: पार्था: स्युरिति यद् भवान् | मन्यते तद् भयं व्येतु भवतो राजसत्तम
aśakyā devasacivāḥ pārthāḥ syur iti yad bhavān | manyate tad bhayaṃ vyetu bhavato rājasattama ||
Wahai raja terbaik, bila engkau mengira, “Para Pārtha tak mungkin ditaklukkan karena para dewa menjadi sekutu mereka,” maka hendaklah ketakutan itu lenyap dari benakmu.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Do not let fear arise from assumptions about an opponent’s ‘divine backing’; a ruler should maintain steadiness of mind and judge the situation without panic.
Vaiśaṃpāyana reports counsel addressed to a king: the speaker urges him to abandon the fear that the Pāṇḍavas cannot be defeated because the gods support them.