Shloka 21

Devanagari script

तथापि लोके कर्माणि समावर्तन्ति भारत । शुभाशुभफल चैते प्राप्तुवन्तीति मे मति:,भारत! नृपश्रेष्ठ) यदि कहो कि यह सब माननेपर भी लोकमें कर्मोंकी आवृत्ति होती ही है--लोग कर्म करते और उनके शुभाशुभ फलोंको पाते ही हैं--ऐसा मेरा मत है; तो इसके उत्तरमें निवेदन है कि इस दशामें भी जिस कर्मके कारण उसके फलरूपसे अशुभकी प्राप्ति होती है, उस पापमूलक कर्मको ही तुम त्याग दो। अपने मनको शोकमें न डुबाओ

Transliteration

tathāpi loke karmāṇi samāvartanti bhārata | śubhāśubhaphalaṃ caite prāptuvantīti me matiḥ ||

Translation

ব্যাস বললেন— হে ভারত! তবু জগতে কর্মের পুনরাবৃত্তি ঘটে; এবং মানুষ অবশ্যই তার শুভ ও অশুভ ফল লাভ করে— এটাই আমার মত।

Word by Word

तथाthus, in that way

अपिeven, also

लोकेin the world

कर्माणिactions (karmas)

समावर्तन्तिrecur, continue to occur

भारतO Bharata

शुभof good (auspicious)

अशुभof bad (inauspicious)

फलम्fruit, result

चand

एतेthese (people/ones)

प्राप्तुवन्तिobtain, attain

इतिthus (quotative)

मेmy, of me

मतिःopinion, view

Speaker

व्यास उवाच

Characters & Entities

Vyāsa

Bhārata (addressee: a Kuru descendant)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Even if one accepts that worldly action is unavoidable and keeps recurring, one should recognize that actions inevitably yield consequences—good and bad. The ethical implication is to act with discernment, avoiding deeds that generate harmful results.

What is happening in the narrative?

Vyāsa addresses a Bharata/Kuru listener in the Śānti Parva’s instructional setting, stating a principle of karmic continuity: people keep acting in the world and accordingly experience the fruits of their actions.