Shloka 17
Haṃsa–Sādhya Saṃvāda: Satya, Dama, Kṣamā and the Discipline of Speech
भोजनाच्छादने चैव मात्रा पित्रा च संग्रहम् । स्वकृतेनाधिगच्छन्ति लोके नास्त्यकृतं पुरा
bhojanācchādane caiva mātrā pitrā ca saṅgraham | svakṛtenādhigacchanti loke nāsty akṛtaṃ purā ||
قال بهيشما: «الطعام والكساء، وكذلك الرعاية والعون اللذان يمنحهما الأم والأب—إنما ينال الناس ذلك في هذا العالم بأعمالهم هم. لا شيء يصل إلى أحد من غير أن يُكتسب بالفعل؛ ولا شيء يُنال من غير سبب سابق.»
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Bhīṣma emphasizes karmic causality and personal responsibility: even basic sustenance and the support one receives are connected to one’s own prior actions; nothing comes without a cause or without being earned through karma.
In Śānti Parva, Bhīṣma instructs Yudhiṣṭhira on dharma and right conduct. Here he frames worldly welfare—such as food, clothing, and parental care—as outcomes governed by one’s deeds, reinforcing an ethical worldview of accountability.