Shloka 11

दैव–पुरुषकार-प्रश्नः

Daiva–Puruṣakāra Inquiry: Fate and Human Effort

Devanagari script

कृती सर्वत्र लभते प्रतिष्ठां भाग्यसंयुताम्‌ । अकृती लभते भ्रष्ट: क्षते क्षारावसेचनम्‌

Transliteration

kṛtī sarvatra labhate pratiṣṭhāṃ bhāgyasaṃyutām | akṛtī labhate bhraṣṭaḥ kṣate kṣārāvasecanam ||

Translation

Bhīṣma nói: Người có tài năng và siêng năng thì đi đến đâu cũng được tôn kính, lại được vận may nâng đỡ. Còn kẻ bất tài và lười biếng, sa sút khỏi danh dự, sẽ gặp nỗi khổ như rắc muối lên vết thương.

Word by Word

• कृती: an industrious/able person
• कृती: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: कृतिन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• सर्वत्र: everywhere
• सर्वत्र: Adhikarana
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: सर्वत्र (अव्यय)

• लभते: obtains
• Type: Verb
• Root: लभ् (धातु)
• Form: Present, Atmanepada, Third, Singular

• प्रतिष्ठाम्: reputation, standing
• प्रतिष्ठाम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्रतिष्ठा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Feminine, Accusative, Singular

• भाग्यसंयुताम्: endowed with good fortune
• Type: Adjective
• Root: भाग्य-संयुत (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Feminine, Accusative, Singular

• अकृती: an unenterprising/ineffective person
• अकृती: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: अकृतिन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• लभते: obtains
• Type: Verb
• Root: लभ् (धातु)
• Form: Present, Atmanepada, Third, Singular

• भ्रष्टः: fallen, deprived (of honor)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: भ्रष्ट (प्रातिपदिक; भ्रंश्-क्त)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• क्षते: on a wound
• क्षते: Adhikarana
• Type: Noun
• Root: क्षत (प्रातिपदिक; क्षन्/क्षद्-क्त)
• Form: Neuter, Locative, Singular

• क्षारावसेचनम्: sprinkling of salt/alkali
• Type: Noun
• Root: क्षार-अवसेचन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter, Nominative, Singular

Speaker

भीष्म उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Bhīṣma

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Bhīṣma teaches that personal capability and sustained effort lead to honour and stability, often aided by fortune; whereas idleness or incompetence results in loss of standing and compounded suffering—pain added to pain, like salt on a wound.

What is happening in the narrative?

In Anuśāsana Parva, Bhīṣma instructs Yudhiṣṭhira on dharma and right conduct. Here he uses a sharp proverb-like comparison to contrast the outcomes of industriousness versus inactivity, emphasizing ethical self-discipline and responsibility.