Shloka 35
Daiva–Puruṣakāra Saṃvāda
Kṛpa’s Counsel on Destiny and Human Effort
कृते पुरुषकारे तु येषां कार्य न सिद्धयति । दैवेनोपहतास्ते तु नात्र कार्या विचारणा,कार्यको आरम्भ न करनेसे कहीं कोई भी प्रयोजन सिद्ध नहीं होता है; परंतु पुरुषार्थ करनेपर भी जिनका कार्य सिद्ध नहीं होता है, वे निश्चय ही दैवके मारे हुए हैं। इसमें कोई अन्यथा विचार नहीं करना चाहिये
kṛte puruṣakāre tu yeṣāṃ kāryaṃ na sidhyati | daivenopahatās te tu nātra kāryā vicāraṇā ||
Kṛpa said: When effort is truly made, yet the intended task does not succeed for certain people, they are indeed struck down by fate. But without undertaking action, no purpose is ever accomplished. On this point, there is no need for further debate—one must act, while recognizing that outcomes may still be overruled by destiny.
कृप उवाच
Educational Q&A
One must initiate and apply personal effort, because without action no goal is achieved; yet even after sincere effort, failure can occur due to daiva (fate/divine dispensation). The ethical stance is to act responsibly while accepting that outcomes are not fully controllable.
In Sauptika Parva, Kṛpa is advising in a tense wartime context. He frames the situation through the lens of puruṣakāra (human initiative) and daiva (fate), urging action rather than paralysis by doubt, while acknowledging that destiny may still thwart results.