Shloka 14
दैव–पुरुषकार-प्रश्नः
Daiva–Puruṣakāra Inquiry: Fate and Human Effort
ज्योतींषि त्रिदशा नागा यक्षाश्षन्द्रार्कमारुता: । सर्व पुरुषकारेण मानुष्याद् देवतां गता:,नक्षत्र, देवता, नाग, यक्ष, चन्द्रमा, सूर्य और वायु आदि सभी पुरुषार्थ करके ही मनुष्यलोकसे देवलोकको गये हैं
jyotīṁṣi tridaśā nāgā yakṣāś candrārka-mārutāḥ | sarva-puruṣakāreṇa mānuṣyād devatāṁ gatāḥ ||
Bhīṣma berkata: “Segala cahaya di langit, para dewa, kaum Nāga, para Yakṣa, dan juga Bulan, Matahari serta Angin—semuanya mencapai martabat ketuhanan hanya melalui usaha diri. Setelah berikhtiar sepenuh daya, mereka bangkit daripada keadaan manusia menuju keadaan para dewa.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse emphasizes puruṣakāra—personal effort—as a decisive cause of upliftment: even beings regarded as celestial attained their exalted status through sustained exertion and merit, implying that human beings too can rise through disciplined action aligned with dharma.
In Bhīṣma’s instruction within the Anuśāsana Parva, he cites well-known classes of celestial beings (luminaries, Devas, Nāgas, Yakṣas, and cosmic deities like Moon, Sun, and Wind) as examples to teach that greatness and higher states are achieved through effort rather than mere birth or chance.