Shloka 9
नरनारायण-नारदसंवादः
Nara-Nārāyaṇa–Nārada Discourse on Vision, Elements, and Entry into Vāsudeva
योडयमिच्छेद् यथाकामं कामानां तदवाप्रुयात् यदि स्यान्न पराधीनं पुरुषस्य क्रियाफलम्
yo ’yam icched yathākāmaṃ kāmānāṃ tad avāpnuyāt | yadi syān na parādhīnaṃ puruṣasya kriyāphalam ||
नारद उवाच—योऽयमिच्छेद् यथाकामं कामानां तदवाप्नुयात् । यदि स्यान्न पराधीनं पुरुषस्य क्रियाफलम् ॥
नारद उवाच
Educational Q&A
Desire alone cannot guarantee attainment, because the results of action (kriyā-phala) are not fully under one’s control. Therefore one should act rightly within dharma, reduce craving, and accept outcomes with steadiness.
In the didactic discourse of Śānti Parva, Nārada explains a principle about human limitation: if results were entirely self-controlled, everyone would instantly obtain whatever they wished; since that is not so, one must understand the dependence of outcomes on many conditions.