Shloka 18

Devanagari script

एवमेतदनादृत्य वर्तते यस्त्वतो5न्यथा । स करोत्यात्मनो5नर्थनिष बुद्धिमतां नयः:,इस प्रकार जो पुरुष इस मतका अनादर करके इसके विपरीत बर्ताव करता है अर्थात्‌ जो दैव और पुरुषार्थ दोनोंके सहयोगको न मानकर केवल एकके भरोसे ही बैठा रहता है, वह अपना ही अनर्थ करता है, यही बुद्धिमानोंकी नीति है

Transliteration

evam etad anādṛtya vartate yas tv ato 'nyathā | sa karoty ātmano 'narthaṃ niṣṭhā buddhimatāṃ nayaḥ ||

Translation

Kṛpa said: “So it is. But the man who disregards this principle and acts otherwise—refusing to accept the joint working of destiny and human effort and relying on only one of them—brings misfortune upon himself. This is the settled policy of the wise.”

Word by Word

एवम्thus, in this way

एतत्this (is)

अनादृत्यhaving disregarded

वर्ततेacts, behaves, proceeds

यःwho

तुbut, indeed

अतःfrom this, therefore; than this

अन्यथाotherwise, contrariwise

सःhe

करोतिdoes, makes

आत्मनःof himself, his own

अनर्थम्harm, misfortune

इतिthus (quotative)

बुद्धिमताम्of the wise

नयःpolicy, maxim, guiding principle

Speaker

कृप उवाच

Characters & Entities

Kṛpa

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Cross References

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

One should not dismiss either destiny (daiva) or human effort (puruṣārtha). Ignoring their combined role and clinging to only one leads to one’s own ruin; the wise hold this as a settled principle of conduct.

What is happening in the narrative?

In the Sauptika Parva, Kṛpa is giving counsel in the tense aftermath of the war, articulating a practical ethical stance: sound action requires acknowledging both what is fated and what must be done through deliberate effort.