Mahabharata 4.20.9 — Virata Parva, Adhyaya 20, Shloka 9
Bhīma–Draupadī Saṃvāda on Restraint, Protection, and the Kīcaka Threat
Virāṭa-parva, Adhyāya 20
दैवेन किल यस्यार्थ: सुनीतो5पि विपद्यते । दैवस्य चागमे यत्नस्तेन कार्यो विजानता
daivena kila yasyārthaḥ sunīto 'pi vipadyate | daivasya cāgame yatnas tena kāryo vijānatā ||
சிறந்த நெறியால் காக்கப்பட்ட நோக்கமும், தெய்வம் எதிராக இருந்தால் அழிந்து விடும். ஆகவே விதியின் வருகை நெருங்கியபோது, அறிவுடையவன் அந்த விதியை அனுகூலமாக்க முயல வேண்டும்.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
Even the best human planning and policy (sunīti) can fail when destiny turns adverse; therefore the wise should also strive to align themselves with what is divinely allotted—through right conduct, restraint, and timely, discerning action—so that fate becomes favorable rather than obstructive.
In Vaiśampāyana’s narration within the Virāṭa Parva, this verse offers a reflective maxim: it comments on how outcomes in human affairs are not secured by strategy alone, and it frames the ensuing events with the idea that destiny can overturn even well-protected plans.
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