Shloka 16
Uttanka’s Inquiry and Vāsudeva’s Adhyātma Exposition
Guṇa–Ritual–Immanence Teaching
न दिष्टमप्यतिक्रान्तुं शक््यं बुद्धया बलेन वा
na diṣṭam apy atikrāntuṁ śakyaṁ buddhyā balena vā, maharṣe! prārabdhake vidhānako ko'pi buddhi athavā balena na miṭā sakatā. anagha! āpako to ye sab bāteṁ mālūm hī hoṅgī ki kauravoṁ ne merī, bhīṣmajīkī tathā vidurajīkī sammatiko bhī ṭhukrā diyā.
毗舍ṃ波耶那说：“大圣者啊，命定之事不可逾越——无论凭智慧还是凭力量。凡已依天命之律开始结果者，无人能将其抹去。无垢者啊，你必然尽知：俱卢诸子甚至拒绝了我的劝告，也拒绝了毗湿摩与毗度罗的劝告。”
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse emphasizes the force of diṣṭa/prārabdha—events already set in motion by destiny (fructifying karma) cannot be nullified merely through cleverness or power. Ethically, it also implies that ignoring wise counsel (especially dharmic counsel) accelerates ruin when fate is already turning adverse.
Vaiśaṃpāyana explains to the addressed sage that the Kauravas’ downfall was not only a matter of poor choices but also of destiny already ripening; they even spurned the well-intentioned advice of respected elders and counselors—Vaiśaṃpāyana himself, Bhīṣma, and Vidura—thereby sealing the course toward conflict and catastrophe.