Shloka 17
शल्यपर्वणि प्रथमाध्यायः — Karṇa-vadha-anantaraṃ Śalya-niyogaḥ, Saṃjayasya Dhṛtarāṣṭra-nivedanam
विधिश्व बलवानत्र पौरुषं तु निरर्थकम् | शक्रतुल्यबला: सर्वे यथावध्यन्त पापडवै:,“इस जगतमें भाग्य ही बलवान है। पुरुषार्थ तो निरर्थक है, क्योंकि आपके सभी पुत्र इन्द्रके तुल्य बलवान होनेपर भी पाण्डवोंके हाथसे मारे गये!”
vidhiś ca balavān atra pauruṣaṁ tu nirarthakam | śakra-tulyabalāḥ sarve yathāvadhyanta pāṇḍavaiḥ ||
ഈ ലോകത്തിൽ വിധി (ഭാഗ്യം) തന്നെയാണ് ശക്തം; മനുഷ്യപുരുഷാർത്ഥം മാത്രം നിരർത്ഥകം. കാരണം നിങ്ങളുടെ പുത്രന്മാർ എല്ലാവരും ഇന്ദ്രസമാനബലമുള്ളവരായിട്ടും പാണ്ഡവരുടെ കൈകളാൽ വധിക്കപ്പെട്ടു.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse foregrounds the tension between fate (vidhi) and human effort (pauruṣa): even extraordinary prowess may fail when the larger moral-causal order and destined outcome prevail. It cautions against overreliance on strength alone and invites reflection on responsibility, dharma, and the limits of personal power.
Vaiśampāyana comments on the catastrophic end of the Kaurava side: despite being as strong as Indra, the sons of the addressed party were killed by the Pāṇḍavas. The statement functions as a consoling yet sobering explanation of defeat, attributing it to the dominance of fate/ordained outcome rather than lack of valor.