Shloka 48
Śānti-parva 168: Śoka-nivṛtti-buddhi (The Cognition that Reduces Grief) and Piṅgalā’s Nairāśya
न कर्मणा55प्रोत्यनवाप्यमर्थ यद्भावि तद्वै भवतीति वित्त । त्रिवर्गहीनो5पि हि विन्दते<र्थ तस्मादहो लोकहिताय गुहाम्
na karmaṇā prāptum anavāpyam arthaṃ yad bhāvi tad vai bhavatīti vitta | trivarga-hīno 'pi hi vindate 'rthaṃ tasmād aho loka-hitāya guhām ||
न कर्मणा प्राप्यतेऽनवाप्यमर्थं यद्भावि तद्वै भवतीति विद्धि । त्रिवर्गहीनोऽपि हि विन्दतेऽर्थं तस्मादहो लोकहिताय गुह्यम् ॥
युधिछिर उवाच
Educational Q&A
Effort alone cannot secure what is not destined; what is fated will occur. The verse highlights the tension between human striving (karma) and inevitability (bhāvi), warning that outcomes—especially regarding wealth—do not always correlate with moral or goal-oriented living (trivarga).
In Śānti Parva’s reflective discourse, Yudhiṣṭhira voices a sober observation about how results in the world often appear governed by destiny rather than merit or disciplined pursuit of dharma, artha, and kāma, and he laments that this hard truth remains ‘hidden’ from common understanding.