Shloka 13
Adhyāya 290: Sāṃkhya-vidhi, Deha-doṣa, Guṇa-vicāra, and Mokṣa-gati
Bhīṣma–Yudhiṣṭhira Dialogue
दैवं तात न पश्यामि नास्ति दैवस्य साधनम् । स्वभावतो हि संसिद्धा देवगन्धर्वदानवा:
daivaṁ tāta na paśyāmi nāsti daivasya sādhanam | svabhāvato hi saṁsiddhā devagandharvadānavāḥ ||
波罗舍罗曰：“吾子，我不见有一独立之‘命’为别种权力，亦不见有何因缘能生起或操控此命。诸天、乾闼婆与檀那婆，各随其自性而成就其能力与境位。”
पराशर उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse challenges the idea of an independent, external ‘fate’ (daiva) governing outcomes. It emphasizes svabhāva—innate nature or inherent constitution—as the primary explanatory principle for the capacities and conditions of different beings, implying responsibility and causality rooted in nature rather than an unseen destiny.
Parāśara addresses his son in a didactic context within Śānti Parva’s philosophical discussions. He presents a viewpoint that denies a separate agency called ‘fate’ and instead explains the status of gods, Gandharvas, and Dānavas as arising from their inherent nature.