Shloka 20
दैव–पुरुषकार-प्रश्नः
Daiva–Puruṣakāra Inquiry: Fate and Human Effort
अकृत्वा मानुषं कर्म यो दैवमनुवर्तते । वृथा श्राम्यति सम्प्राप्पय पतिं क्लीबमिवाड़ना
akṛtvā mānuṣaṁ karma yo daivam anuvartate | vṛthā śrāmyati samprāpya patiṁ klībam ivāṅganā ||
Wika ni Bhishma: “Ang taong nagpapabaya sa nararapat na pagsisikap ng tao (purushārtha) at sumusunod lamang sa tinatawag niyang ‘tadhana’ (daiva) ay napapagod nang walang kabuluhan habang umaasa sa kapalaran. Ito’y tulad ng isang babae na, kahit nagkaroon na ng asawa, ay nagdurusa pa rin—sapagkat ang asawang iyon ay walang kakayahan. Ang aral: hinihingi ng dharma ang may layuning pagsisikap; ang pag-angkla sa tadhana nang hindi ginagawa ang nararapat ay nauuwi sa pagkadismaya at kawalan ng bunga.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
One should not abandon proper human effort (mānuṣa-karma) and hide behind ‘fate’ (daiva). Dharma is fulfilled through responsible action; relying on destiny alone leads to wasted hardship and no meaningful result.
Bhīṣma is instructing on nīti and dharma, warning against fatalism. He uses a sharp simile: just as a woman suffers even after ‘obtaining a husband’ if he is klība (incapable), so too a person suffers fruitlessly when ‘destiny’ is treated as the sole support while one’s own duty is left undone.