मृग उवाच
काममन्युपरीतापि बुद्ध्यङ्गरहितापि च ॥
वर्जयन्ति नृशंसानि पापेष्व् अभिरता नराः ॥
न विधिं ग्रसते प्रज्ञा प्रज्ञां तु ग्रसते विधिः ॥
विधिपर्यागतान् अर्थान् प्रज्ञा न प्रतिपद्यते ॥
शश्वद्धर्मात्मनां मुख्ये कुले जातस्य भारत ॥
कामलोभाभिभूतस्य कथं ते चलिता मतिः ॥
mṛga uvāca
kāmamanyuparītāpi buddhyaṅgarahitāpi ca ||
varjayanti nṛśaṃsāni pāpeṣv abhiratā narāḥ ||
na vidhiṃ grasate prajñā prajñāṃ tu grasate vidhiḥ ||
vidhiparyāgatān arthān prajñā na pratipadyate ||
śaśvaddharmātmanāṃ mukhye kule jātasya bhārata ||
kāmalobhābhibhūtasya kathaṃ te calitā matiḥ ||
The deer said: 'Even men overwhelmed by desire and anger, devoid of discernment, devoted to sin — even they refrain from cruel deeds. It is not reason that overcomes fate, but fate that overcomes reason: reason cannot gain access to what is already predetermined by destiny. O Bharata, how then has your reason faltered — you who were born in a lineage foremost among the eternally righteous, overcome by desire and greed?'
f4d07b4b23d3 · published Jul 12, 2026, 4:30:27 PM UTC
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Here the dying sage utters a profound word about fate and reason. Notable is the saying: 'reason does not overcome fate, but fate overcomes reason' (na vidhiṃ grasate prajñā, prajñāṃ tu grasate vidhiḥ). Here is an acknowledgment of the power of karma and providence over the human mind: when the fruit of deeds has ripened, even the wise lose their good sense, and fate leads them to what must be. But this is not a justification of sin, but an explanation of tragedy: Pandu, born into the most righteous of lineages, acted cruelly not because he was evil, but because the hour of reckoning had come, clouding his mind. It is notable that the sage marvels precisely at the fall of reason in a noble soul: high birth and good qualities do not protect one from being clouded when karma ripens. And yet only the Lord has power over fate (vidhi), and only surrender to Him (bhakti) delivers the soul from beneath the wheel of destiny, whereas reason alone is powerless. Thus the scripture, through the mouth of the dying one, reveals both the might of fate and the limits of the human mind.