Shloka 20

दैव–पुरुषकार-प्रश्नः

Daiva–Puruṣakāra Inquiry: Fate and Human Effort

Devanagari script

अकृत्वा मानुषं कर्म यो दैवमनुवर्तते । वृथा श्राम्यति सम्प्राप्पय पतिं क्लीबमिवाड़ना

Transliteration

akṛtvā mānuṣaṁ karma yo daivam anuvartate | vṛthā śrāmyati samprāpya patiṁ klībam ivāṅganā ||

Translation

ພີດສະມະກ່າວວ່າ: «ຜູ້ໃດບໍ່ເຮັດຄວາມພາກພຽນອັນຄວນແກ່ມະນຸດ (purushārtha) ແຕ່ຕາມແຕ່ວາສະນາ (daiva) ຜູ້ນັ້ນພຽງແຕ່ອາໄສຊະຕາ ແລະເມື່ອຍລ້າໄປໂດຍປ່າວ. ມັນເຫມືອນຍິງຜູ້ໜຶ່ງ ໄດ້ຜົວແລ້ວແຕ່ຍັງທົນທຸກ—ເພາະຜົວນັ້ນໄຮ້ສົມັດຖະນະ. ຄຳສອນຄື ທຳມະຕ້ອງການຄວາມພາກພຽນອັນມີເປົ້າໝາຍ; ອ້າງວາສະນາໂດຍບໍ່ເຮັດໜ້າທີ່ ນຳພາແຕ່ຄວາມຂັດໃຈ ແລະຄວາມໄຮ້ຜົນ».

Word by Word

• अकृत्वा: not having done / without doing
• अकृत्वा: Karma
• Type: Verb
• Root: कृ (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वा, कर्तरि, अव्यय (पूर्वकालिक क्रिया)

• मानुषम्: human (proper to humans)
• मानुषम्: Karma
• Type: Adjective
• Root: मानुष (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसक, द्वितीया, एकवचन

• कर्म: action, duty
• कर्म: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: कर्मन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसक, द्वितीया, एकवचन

• यः: who
• यः: Karta
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• दैवम्: fate, the divine (dispensation)
• दैवम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: दैव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसक, द्वितीया, एकवचन

• अनुवर्तते: follows, conforms to
• अनुवर्तते: Karta
• Type: Verb
• Root: अनु-वृत् (धातु)
• Form: लट्, आत्मनेपद, प्रथम, एकवचन

• वृथा: in vain, uselessly
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: वृथा (अव्यय)

• श्राम्यति: toils, suffers fatigue
• श्राम्यति: Karta
• Type: Verb
• Root: श्रम् (धातु)
• Form: लट्, परस्मैपद, प्रथम, एकवचन

• सम्प्राप्य: having obtained, having reached
• Type: Verb
• Root: सम्-प्र-आप् (धातु)
• Form: ल्यप् (क्त्वान्त-समकक्ष), कर्तरि, अव्यय (पूर्वकालिक क्रिया)

• पतिम्: husband
• पतिम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: पति (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन

• क्लीबम्: impotent, eunuch-like
• क्लीबम्: Karma
• Type: Adjective
• Root: क्लीब (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन

• इव: like, as
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: इव (अव्यय)

• अङ्गना: woman
• अङ्गना: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: अङ्गना (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

Speaker

भीष्म उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Bhīṣma
• daiva (fate/destiny)
• aṅganā (woman/wife)
• pati (husband)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

One should not abandon proper human effort (mānuṣa-karma) and hide behind ‘fate’ (daiva). Dharma is fulfilled through responsible action; relying on destiny alone leads to wasted hardship and no meaningful result.

What is happening in the narrative?

Bhīṣma is instructing on nīti and dharma, warning against fatalism. He uses a sharp simile: just as a woman suffers even after ‘obtaining a husband’ if he is klība (incapable), so too a person suffers fruitlessly when ‘destiny’ is treated as the sole support while one’s own duty is left undone.