Shloka 11
दैव–पुरुषकार-प्रश्नः
Daiva–Puruṣakāra Inquiry: Fate and Human Effort
कृती सर्वत्र लभते प्रतिष्ठां भाग्यसंयुताम् । अकृती लभते भ्रष्ट: क्षते क्षारावसेचनम्
kṛtī sarvatra labhate pratiṣṭhāṃ bhāgyasaṃyutām | akṛtī labhate bhraṣṭaḥ kṣate kṣārāvasecanam ||
परिश्रमी व समर्थ मनुष्य सर्वत्र भाग्याच्या साथीनं प्रतिष्ठा मिळवतो; पण अकर्मण्य मनुष्य मानापासून ढळून जखमेवर मीठ चोळल्यासारखे असह्य दुःख भोगतो.
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Bhīṣma teaches that personal capability and sustained effort lead to honour and stability, often aided by fortune; whereas idleness or incompetence results in loss of standing and compounded suffering—pain added to pain, like salt on a wound.
In Anuśāsana Parva, Bhīṣma instructs Yudhiṣṭhira on dharma and right conduct. Here he uses a sharp proverb-like comparison to contrast the outcomes of industriousness versus inactivity, emphasizing ethical self-discipline and responsibility.