Shloka 13
दैवं तात न पश्यामि नास्ति दैवस्य साधनम् । स्वभावतो हि संसिद्धा देवगन्धर्वदानवा:
daivaṁ tāta na paśyāmi nāsti daivasya sādhanam | svabhāvato hi saṁsiddhā devagandharvadānavāḥ ||
パラーシャラは言った。「わが子よ、独立した力としての『運命』なるものを私は見いださない。また、その運命が生じたり支配されたりする手立ても見えない。神々、ガンダルヴァ、ダーナヴァは、それぞれの力と境遇を自らの本性によって成就するのだ。」
पराशर उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse challenges the idea of an independent, external ‘fate’ (daiva) governing outcomes. It emphasizes svabhāva—innate nature or inherent constitution—as the primary explanatory principle for the capacities and conditions of different beings, implying responsibility and causality rooted in nature rather than an unseen destiny.
Parāśara addresses his son in a didactic context within Śānti Parva’s philosophical discussions. He presents a viewpoint that denies a separate agency called ‘fate’ and instead explains the status of gods, Gandharvas, and Dānavas as arising from their inherent nature.