Shloka 9
Śvetadvīpa-varṇana and Śāstra-pravartana (Śānti Parva 322)
उपतिष्ठति तिष्ठन्तं गच्छन्तमनुगच्छति । करोति कुर्वत: कर्म च्छायेवानुविधीयते
upatiṣṭhati tiṣṭhantaṃ gacchantam anugacchati | karoti kurvataḥ karma chāyevānuvidhīyate ||
قال بهيشما: الكارما تتبع الإنسان كظلّه. إذا وقف وقفت بقربه، وإذا مشى مشت خلفه، وإذا مضى مضت معه. ومهما صنع الفاعل، فإن الفعل نفسه—ومعه عاقبته الأخلاقية—يسير على وتيرته ولا يتركه قط.
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
A person cannot escape the consequences of their actions: karma adheres to the doer as closely as a shadow, accompanying them in every state—standing, moving, or acting—until it bears fruit.
In the Shanti Parva’s instruction on dharma, Bhishma delivers a moral maxim to Yudhiṣṭhira: he illustrates, through the image of a shadow, how deeds and their results inevitably follow the agent.