Shloka 18
Vāraṇāvata-prasaṃsā and the Pāṇḍavas’ Departure (वरणावत-प्रशंसा तथा पाण्डव-प्रयाणम्)
ततस्ते यत्नमातिष्ठन् वीटामुद्धर्तुमादृता: । नच ते प्रत्यपद्यन्त कर्म वीटोपलब्धये,तब वे उस बीटाको निकालनेके लिये बड़ी तत्परताके साथ प्रयत्नमें लग गये; परंतु उसे प्राप्त करनेका कोई भी उपाय उनके ध्यानमें नहीं आया
tataste yatnam ātiṣṭhan vīṭām uddhartum ādṛtāḥ | na ca te pratyapadyanta karma vīṭopalabdhaye ||
Então eles se puseram a tentar com afinco, esforçando-se com grande diligência para retirar a vīṭā. Mas não lhes ocorria nenhum meio eficaz pelo qual pudessem obtê-la.
वैशग्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights that effort alone is insufficient; success also depends on discovering the right method (karma/upāya). When the means are unclear, even sincere diligence may not yield the desired result.
A group of people, described collectively as 'they', become intent on extracting an object called the vīṭā. They try hard, but cannot figure out any workable procedure to obtain it.