Shloka 26
दैव–पुरुषकार-प्रश्नः
Daiva–Puruṣakāra Inquiry: Fate and Human Effort
कथं तस्य समुत्पत्तिर्यतो दैवं प्रवर्तते । एवं त्रिदशलोके<पि प्राप्यन्ते बहवो गुणा:
kathaṁ tasya samutpattir yato daivaṁ pravartate | evaṁ tridaśa-loke ’pi prāpyante bahavo guṇāḥ ||
Bhīṣma berkata: “Bagaimanakah usaha manusia dapat timbul dengan sendirinya, sedangkan takdirlah yang menggerakkan tindakan? Demikian juga, bahkan di alam para dewa, banyak kelebihan dan keunggulan diperoleh melalui takdir.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Bhishma emphasizes the primacy of daiva—destiny shaped by prior karma—as the underlying driver of action and attainment; even what appears as personal initiative or heavenly advantage is conditioned by past merit and circumstance.
In the Anushasana Parva’s instruction setting, Bhishma continues his ethical discourse by arguing that outcomes and even the impulse toward virtuous action are propelled by daiva, illustrating this with the example that even in heaven many endowments are gained through destiny.