Krishna on Human Effort and Fate

Verse 1 (5.78.1)

एवमेतन्महाबाहो यथा वदसि पाण्डव । पाण्डवानां कुरूणां च प्रतिपत्स्ये निरामयम् । सर्वं त्विदं ममायत्तं बीभत्सो कर्मणोर्द्वयोः ॥

evametanmahābāho yathā vadasi pāṇḍava | pāṇḍavānāṃ kurūṇāṃ ca pratipatsye nirāmayam | sarvaṃ tvidaṃ mamāyattaṃ bībhatso karmaṇordvayoḥ

"It is just as you say, mighty-armed son of Pandu. I will bring about the well-being of the Pandavas and the Kurus. All this lies with me, Bibhatsu, as between the two courses of action."

Note on the text: The middle line (पाण्डवानां कुरूणां च प्रतिपत्स्ये निरामयम्) is not in the critical edition's text (found in the vulgate recension); the critical edition records it in its apparatus as 5.77.1b*0377. The first and last lines are its 5.77.1.

Verse 2 (5.78.2)

क्षेत्रं हि रसवच्छुद्धं कर्मणैवोपपादितम् । ऋते वर्षान्न कौन्तेय जातु निर्वर्तयेत्फलम् ॥

kṣetraṃ hi rasavacchuddhaṃ karmaṇaivopapāditam | ṛte varṣānna kaunteya jātu nirvartayetphalam

"A field may be moist and clean, made ready by labour alone; yet without rain, son of Kunti, it will never yield its fruit."

Verse 3 (5.78.3)

तत्र वै पौरुषं ब्रूयुरासेकं यत्र कारितम् । तत्र चापि ध्रुवं पश्येच्छोषणं दैवकारितम् ॥

tatra vai pauruṣaṃ brūyurāsekaṃ yatra kāritam | tatra cāpi dhruvaṃ paśyecchoṣaṇaṃ daivakāritam

"There, people may speak of human effort where irrigation has been made; yet even there one is bound to see a drying-up brought about by fate."

Verse 4 (5.78.4)

तदिदं निश्चितं बुद्ध्या पूर्वैरपि महात्मभिः । दैवे च मानुषे चैव संयुक्तं लोककारणम् ॥

tadidaṃ niścitaṃ buddhyā pūrvairapi mahātmabhiḥ | daive ca mānuṣe caiva saṃyuktaṃ lokakāraṇam

"This the great-souled men of old settled by their understanding: the welfare of the world rests on the divine and the human joined together."

Note on the text: Corrected निश्चित्तं → निश्चितं (misprint in Wikisource; critical edition niścitaṃ).

Verse 5 (5.78.5)

अहं हि तत्करिष्यामि परं पुरुषकारतः । दैवं तु न मया शक्यं कर्म कर्तुं कथंचन ॥

ahaṃ hi tatkariṣyāmi paraṃ puruṣakārataḥ | daivaṃ tu na mayā śakyaṃ karma kartuṃ kathaṃcana

"I shall do all that human effort can achieve; but the work of fate I can in no way perform."

Note on the text: Corrected देवं → दैवं (misprint in Wikisource; the verse contrasts human effort with fate, critical edition daivaṃ).

Verse 6 (5.78.6)

स हि धर्मं च लोकं च त्यक्त्वा चरति दुर्मतिः । न हि सन्तप्यते तेन तथारूपेण कर्मणा ॥

sa hi dharmaṃ ca lokaṃ ca tyaktvā carati durmatiḥ | na hi santapyate tena tathārūpeṇa karmaṇā

"That evil-minded man goes about having cast off both dharma and the world's regard, and he feels no remorse for deeds of that kind."

Verse 7 (5.78.7)

तथापि बुद्धिं पापिष्ठां वर्धयन्त्यस्य मन्त्रिणः । शकुनिः सूतपुत्रश्च भ्राता दुःशासनस्तथा ॥

tathāpi buddhiṃ pāpiṣṭhāṃ vardhayantyasya mantriṇaḥ | śakuniḥ sūtaputraśca bhrātā duḥśāsanastathā

"Even so, his counsellors feed that most sinful resolve of his — Shakuni, the charioteer's son, and his brother Duhshasana."

Verse 8 (5.78.8)

स हि त्यागेन राज्यस्य न शमं समुपैष्यति । अन्तरेण वधं पार्थ सानुबन्धः सुयोधनः ॥

sa hi tyāgena rājyasya na śamaṃ samupaiṣyati | antareṇa vadhaṃ pārtha sānubandhaḥ suyodhanaḥ

"Suyodhana and his followers will not come to peace by giving up the kingdom, Partha — not short of being slain."

Verse 9 (5.78.9)

न चापि प्रणिपातेन त्यक्तुमिच्छति धर्मराट् । याच्यमानश्च राज्यं स न प्रदास्यति दुर्मतिः ॥

na cāpi praṇipātena tyaktumicchati dharmarāṭ | yācyamānaśca rājyaṃ sa na pradāsyati durmatiḥ

"Nor does the king of dharma wish to give it up by bowing down to him; and that evil-minded man, even when asked, will not give up the kingdom."

Note on the text: Corrected प्रजास्यति → प्रदास्यति (misprint in Wikisource; critical edition pradāsyati).

Verse 10 (5.78.10)

न तु मन्ये स तद्वाच्यो यद्युधिष्ठिरशासनम् । उक्तं प्रयोजनं यत्तु धर्मराजेन भारत ॥

na tu manye sa tadvācyo yadyudhiṣṭhiraśāsanam | uktaṃ prayojanaṃ yattu dharmarājena bhārata

"But I do not think he should be told what Yudhishthira has instructed — the purpose that the king of dharma has set out, O Bharata."

Note on the text: Corrected युधिष्ठिरशातनम् → युधिष्ठिरशासनम् (misprint in Wikisource; 'Yudhishthira's instruction', as in verse 21's धर्मराजस्य शासनम्; critical edition yudhiṣṭhiraśāsanam).

Verse 11 (5.78.11)

तथा पापस्तु तत्सर्वं न करिष्यति कौरवः । तस्मिंश्चाक्रियमाणेऽसौ लोके वध्यो भविष्यति ॥

tathā pāpastu tatsarvaṃ na kariṣyati kauravaḥ | tasmiṃścākriyamāṇe'sau loke vadhyo bhaviṣyati

"For the wicked Kaurava will do none of it; and when it is not done, he will deserve death in the eyes of the world."

Verse 12 (5.78.12)

मम चापि स वध्यो हि जगतश्चापि भारत । तेन कौमारके यूयं सर्वे विप्रकृताः सदा ॥

mama cāpi sa vadhyo hi jagataścāpi bhārata | tena kaumārake yūyaṃ sarve viprakṛtāḥ sadā

"He deserves death at my hands too, O Bharata, and at the whole world's, for by him all of you were wronged again and again from your boyhood,"

Verse 13 (5.78.13)

विप्रलुप्तं च वो राज्यं नृशंसेन दुरात्मना । न चोपशाम्यते पापः श्रियं दृष्ट्वा युधिष्ठिरे ॥

vipraluptaṃ ca vo rājyaṃ nṛśaṃsena durātmanā | na copaśāmyate pāpaḥ śriyaṃ dṛṣṭvā yudhiṣṭhire

"and your kingdom was stolen by that cruel, evil-hearted man; nor does the wicked one find peace when he sees prosperity with Yudhishthira."

Verse 14 (5.78.14)

असकृच्चाप्यहं तेन त्वत्कृते पार्थ भेदितः । न मया तद्गृहीतं च पापं तस्य चिकीर्षितम् ॥

asakṛccāpyahaṃ tena tvatkṛte pārtha bheditaḥ | na mayā tadgṛhītaṃ ca pāpaṃ tasya cikīrṣitam

"Many times, Partha, he tried to turn me against you; but I did not take up that wicked design of his."

Note on the text: Corrected चिकीर्षेतम् → चिकीर्षितम् (misprint in Wikisource; critical edition cikīrṣitam).

Verse 15 (5.78.15)

जानासि हि महाबाहो त्वमप्यस्य परं मतम् । प्रियं चिकीर्षमाणं च धर्मराजस्य मामपि ॥

jānāsi hi mahābāho tvamapyasya paraṃ matam | priyaṃ cikīrṣamāṇaṃ ca dharmarājasya māmapi

"You know, mighty-armed one, what he most deeply intends; and you know too that I seek to do what is dear to the king of dharma."

Verse 16 (5.78.16)

संजानंस्तस्य चात्मानं मम चैव परं मतम् । अजानन्निव मां कस्मादर्जुनाद्याभिशङ्कसे ॥

saṃjānaṃstasya cātmānaṃ mama caiva paraṃ matam | ajānanniva māṃ kasmādarjunādyābhiśaṅkase

"Knowing his nature and my own settled mind, why then, Arjuna, do you today doubt me as though you did not know?"

Verse 17 (5.78.17)

यच्चापि परमं दिव्यं तच्चाप्यनुगतं त्वया । विधानं विहितं पार्थ कथं शर्म भवेत्परैः ॥

yaccāpi paramaṃ divyaṃ taccāpyanugataṃ tvayā | vidhānaṃ vihitaṃ pārtha kathaṃ śarma bhavetparaiḥ

"And the supreme divine ordinance — that too you have understood, Partha. How then could there be peace with our enemies?"

Verse 18 (5.78.18)

यत्तु वाचा मया शक्यं कर्मणा वाऽपि पाण्डव । करिष्ये तदहं पार्थ न त्वाशंसे शमं परैः ॥

yattu vācā mayā śakyaṃ karmaṇā vā'pi pāṇḍava | kariṣye tadahaṃ pārtha na tvāśaṃse śamaṃ paraiḥ

"Yet whatever I can do by word or by deed, son of Pandu, that I will do, Partha; but I do not expect peace with our enemies."

Verse 19 (5.78.19)

कथं गोहरणे ह्युक्तो नैतच्छर्म तथा हितम् । याच्यमानो हि भीष्मेण संवत्सरगतेऽध्वनि ॥

kathaṃ goharaṇe hyukto naitaccharma tathā hitam | yācyamāno hi bhīṣmeṇa saṃvatsaragate'dhvani

"At the cattle raid, when the year had run its course, was he not told that this peace was for his good, when Bhishma pleaded with him?"

Verse 20 (5.78.20)

तदैव ते पराभूता यदा सङ्कल्पितास्त्वया । लवशः क्षणशश्चापि न च तुष्टः सुयोधनः ॥

tadaiva te parābhūtā yadā saṅkalpitāstvayā | lavaśaḥ kṣaṇaśaścāpi na ca tuṣṭaḥ suyodhanaḥ

"They were defeated from the moment you resolved upon it; and yet Suyodhana was not satisfied — not by a jot, not for a moment."

Verse 21 (5.78.21)

सर्वथा तु मया कार्यं धर्मराजस्य शासनम् । विभाव्यं तस्य भूयश्च कर्म पापं दुरात्मनः ॥

sarvathā tu mayā kāryaṃ dharmarājasya śāsanam | vibhāvyaṃ tasya bhūyaśca karma pāpaṃ durātmanaḥ

"In every way I must carry out the command of the king of dharma; and the wicked conduct of that evil-hearted man must be weighed once more."