Shloka 12
दैव–पुरुषकार-प्रश्नः
Daiva–Puruṣakāra Inquiry: Fate and Human Effort
तपसा रूपसौभाग्यं रत्नानि विविधानि च । प्राप्पते कर्मणा सर्व न दैवादकृतात्मना,मनुष्यको तपस्यासे रूप, सौभाग्य और नाना प्रकारके रत्न प्राप्त होते हैं। इस प्रकार कर्मसे सब कुछ मिल सकता है; परंतु भाग्यके भरोसे निकम्मे बैठे रहनेवालेको कुछ नहीं मिलता
Bhīṣma uvāca — tapasā rūpa-saubhāgyaṁ ratnāni vividhāni ca | prāpyate karmaṇā sarvaṁ na daivād akṛtātmanā ||
तपसा रूपसौभाग्यं रत्नानि विविधानि च। प्राप्यते कर्मणा सर्वं न दैवादकृतात्मना॥
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Results such as prosperity, beauty, and valuable attainments come primarily through tapas (disciplined effort) and karma (personal action). Mere dependence on fate, especially without self-discipline, yields no achievement.
In Bhishma’s instruction (Anushasana Parva), he emphasizes an ethical principle for the listener: cultivate self-control and sustained effort, rather than passively attributing outcomes to destiny.