आबाल्यम् एतत् संसिद्धं यत्र तत्र यथा तथा । दैवं तु न क्वचिद् दृष्टम् अतो जयति पौरुषम्
From childhood, this is evident everywhere and in every way: destiny is never seen anywhere; therefore, human effort prevails.
पुरुषार्थेन देवेशगुरुर् एष बृहस्पतिः । शुक्रो दैत्येन्द्रगुरुतां पुरुषार्थेन चास्थितः
By human effort, Bṛhaspati became the guru of the gods, and by human effort, Śukra attained the position of guru to the lords of the demons.
दैन्यदारिद्र्यदुःखार्ता अपि साधो नरोत्तमाः । पौरुषेणैव यत्नेन याता देवेन्द्रतुल्यताम्
Even those noble and excellent people who were afflicted by misery, poverty, and suffering have, through their own effort and diligence, attained a status equal to that of Indra.
महान्तो विभवाढ्या ये नानाश्चर्यसमाश्रयाः । पौरुषेणैव दोषेण नरकातिथितां गताः
Those great ones who were wealthy and surrounded by various wonders, through the fault of their own actions, have reached the state of guests in hell.
भावाभावसहस्रेषु दशासु विविधासु च । स्वपौरुषवशाद् एव विवृत्ता भूतजातयः
Among thousands of existences and in various conditions, the states of living beings arise solely according to their own effort.
शास्त्रतो गुरुतश् चैव स्वतश् चेति त्रिसिद्धता । सर्वत्र पुरुषार्थस्य न दैवस्य कदाचन
Whether established by scripture, by a teacher, or by oneself—these threefold confirmations—everywhere it is human effort, never destiny, that is affirmed.
अशुभेषु समाविष्टं शुभेष्व् एवावतारयेत् । यत्नेन चित्तम् इत्य् आशु सर्वशास्त्रार्थसङ्ग्रहः
When the mind is seized by unwholesome things, one should quickly bring it back to wholesome things through effort—this is the essence of all the scriptures.
यच् छ्रेयो यद् अतुच्छं च यद् अपायविवर्जितम् । तत् तद् आचर यत्नेन पुत्रेति गुरवस् स्थिताः
Whatever is truly beneficial, not trivial, and free from harm—practice that diligently, my son; thus have the teachers declared.
यथा यथा प्रयत्नो मे फलम् आशु तथा तथा । इत्य् अहं पौरुषाद् एव फलभाङ् न तु दैवतः
Just as my effort increases, so does the result come quickly; thus, I receive the fruit solely from my own exertion, not from fate.
पौरुषाद् दृश्यते सिद्धिः पौरुषो धीमतां क्रमः । दैवम् आश्वासनामात्रं दुःखे पेलवबुद्धिषु
Success is seen through effort; effort is the path of the wise; fate is merely a consolation for those with weak minds in suffering.
प्रत्यक्षप्रमुखान् नित्यं प्रमाणात् पौरुषः क्रमः । फलतो दृश्यते लोके देशान्तरगमादिकः
The sequence of effort is always established by direct perception and other means of knowledge; in the world, results such as traveling to distant lands are seen to arise from effort.
भोक्ता तृप्यति नाभोक्ता गन्ता गच्छति नागतिः । वक्ता वक्ति न चावक्ता पौरुषं सफलं नृणाम्
The one who eats is satisfied, not the one who does not eat; the one who goes reaches, not the one who does not go; the one who speaks speaks, not the one who does not speak—thus, effort bears fruit for people.
पौरुषेण दुरन्तेभ्यस् सङ्कटेभ्यस् सुबुद्धयः । समुत्तरन्त्य् अयत्नेन न तु मूकतयानया
Those of clear understanding cross over great difficulties by effort, not by remaining silent and inactive.
यो यो यथा प्रयतते स स तद्वत् फलैकभाक् । न तु तूष्णीं स्थितेनेह केनचित् प्राप्यते फलम्
Whoever makes effort in whatever way, he alone receives the corresponding result; but here, no result is attained by anyone who merely remains silent.
शुभेन पुरुषार्थेन शुभम् आसाद्यते फलम् । अशुभेनाशुभं राम यथेच्छसि तथा कुरु
By virtuous human effort, a virtuous result is obtained; by non-virtuous effort, a non-virtuous result, O Rama—do as you wish.
पुरुषार्थफलप्राप्तिर् देशकालवशाद् इह । प्राप्ता चिरेण शीघ्रं वा यासौ दैवम् इति स्मृता
The attainment of the fruit of human effort here depends on place and time; whether attained after a long time or quickly, that is what is called fate.
न दैवं दृश्यते दृष्ट्या न च लोकान्तरे स्थितम् । उक्तं दैवाभिधानेन स्वं लोके कर्मणः फलम्
Fate is not seen by perception, nor is it situated in another world; what is called 'fate' is, in this world, simply the result of one's own actions.
पुरुषो जायते लोके वर्धते क्षीयते पुनः । न तत्र दृश्यते दैवं जरायौवनबाल्यवान्
A person is born in this world, grows, and then declines; in this, fate is not seen—whether in childhood, youth, or old age.
देशाद् देशान्तरप्राप्तिर् हस्तस्थद्रव्यधारणम् । व्यापारश् च तथाङ्गानां पौरुषेण न दैवतः
Traveling from one place to another, holding objects in the hand, and the movement of limbs—these occur through personal effort, not by fate.
अर्थप्रापककार्यैकप्रयत्नपरता बुधैः । प्रोक्ता पौरुषशब्देन सर्वम् आसाद्यते ऽनया
The wise describe as 'personal effort' the single-minded pursuit of actions that bring about desired results; by this, everything is attained.
अनर्थप्राप्तिकार्यैकप्रयत्नपरता तु या । सोक्ता प्रोन्मत्तचेष्टेति न किञ्चित् प्राप्यते ऽनया
But the single-minded pursuit of actions that bring about misfortune is called the activity of the deluded; by this, nothing is gained.
क्रियायास् स्पन्दधर्मिण्यास् स्वार्थसाधकता स्वयम् । साधुसङ्गमसच्छास्त्रतीक्ष्णयोन्नीयते धिया
The capacity of action, which is characterized by movement and effort toward one's own purpose, is elevated by sharp intellect, good company, and true scriptures.
अनन्तं समतानन्दं परमार्थं स्वकं विदुः । तद् येभ्यः प्राप्यते यत्नात् ते सेव्याश् शास्त्रसाधवः
Those who know their own supreme reality as infinite, equal, and blissful—by effort, that is attained from them; such teachers of true scripture are to be served.
सच्छास्त्रादिगुणो मत्या सच्छास्त्रादिगुणान् मतिः । वर्धेते ते मिथो ऽभ्यासात् सरोब्दाव् इव कालतः
The qualities of true scripture and the intellect mutually enhance each other through practice, just as a lake and rainwater increase each other over time.
आ बाल्याद् अलम् अभ्यस्तैश् शास्त्रसत्सङ्गमादिभिः । गुणैः पुरुषयत्नेन स्वो ऽर्थस् सम्प्राप्यते हितः
From childhood, through diligent practice of scriptures, association with the virtuous, and similar qualities, a person, by their own effort, attains their beneficial purpose.
पौरुषेण जिता दैत्यास् स्थापिता भुवनक्रियाः । रचितानि जगन्तीह विष्णुना न तु दैवतः
By human effort, demons have been conquered, the workings of the worlds established, and the realms created here by Vishnu—not by fate.
जगति पुरुषकारकारणे ऽस्मिन् कुरु रघुनाथ चिरं तथा प्रयत्नम् । व्रजसि तरुसरीसृपाभिधानां सुभग यथा न दशाम् अशङ्क एव
In this world, where human effort is the cause, O Raghunatha, strive long and diligently; then, O fortunate one, you will not fall into the condition of trees or reptiles, nor need you fear such a fate.
नाकृतिर् न च कर्माणि नास्पदं न पराक्रमः । तन् मिथ्याज्ञानवत् प्रौढं दैवं नाम किम् उच्यते
Neither form, nor actions, nor place, nor valor—none of these are the so-called fate; what, then, is this fate, spoken of as if it were real, but rooted in false understanding?
स्वकर्मफलसम्प्राप्ताव् इदम् इत्थम् इतीव याः । गिरस् ता दैवनाम्नैताः प्रसिद्धिं समुपागताः
When one receives the results of their own actions and says, 'It happened this way,' such statements have gained widespread acceptance under the name of fate.
तथैव मूढमतिभिर् दैवम् अस्तीति निश्चयः । आत्तो दुरवबोधेन रज्जाव् इव भुजङ्गमः
Likewise, those of dull intellect, with difficulty in understanding, firmly believe in fate, just as one mistakes a rope for a snake.