Shloka 23
दैव–पुरुषकार-प्रश्नः
Daiva–Puruṣakāra Inquiry: Fate and Human Effort
यथा स्थानान्यनित्यानि दूृश्यन्ते दैवतेष्वपि । कथं कर्म विना दैवं स्थास्यति स्थापयिष्यति
yathā sthānāny anityāni dṛśyante daivateṣv api | kathaṁ karma vinā daivaṁ sthāsyati sthāpayiṣyati ||
Bhishma disse: “Assim como, mesmo entre os deuses, seus postos e ofícios—os de Indra e outros—são vistos como impermanentes, como poderia o ‘destino’ (daiva) manter-se firme sem a ação (karma)? E como poderia firmar os demais?”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Bhishma argues that ‘daiva’ (fate/divine allotment) is not an independent force: stability and attainment—even of exalted stations—depend on karma (one’s deeds/merit). Since even divine offices are impermanent, only sustained right action can uphold one’s condition and support the order that ‘fate’ is thought to guarantee.
In Anushasana Parva, Bhishma instructs Yudhishthira on dharma. Here he challenges a fatalistic view by pointing to the observable impermanence of even the gods’ positions, using that as evidence that action and merit are the real supports behind what people call ‘fate’.