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 ||
毗湿摩说道：“不作人当作之努力（purushārtha），却只随其所谓‘天命’（daiva）而行者，不过是倚命而徒劳自困。譬如女子，纵得夫婿仍受其苦——只因其夫无能。其旨在于：达摩要求有志之作为；不尽本分而空谈天命，只招烦懑与无果。”
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.