Kīṭopākhyāna: Prajā-pālana as Kṣatra-vrata and the Attainment of Brāhmaṇya
येन येन शरीरेण यद् यत् कर्म करोति यः । तेन तेन शरीरेण तत्तत् फलमुपाश्षुते,जो जिस-जिस शरीरसे जो-जो कर्म करता है, वह उस-उस शरीरसे भी उस-उस कर्मका फल भोगता है
yena yena śarīreṇa yad yat karma karoti yaḥ | tena tena śarīreṇa tat tat phalam upāśnute ||
Bhīṣma sprach: „Welche Handlung ein Mensch auch immer durch welchen Körper vollbringt, durch eben diesen Körper erfährt er die entsprechende Frucht.“
भीष्म उवाच
Actions bear results that return to the doer in a fitting way: the very embodied agency (the body as instrument) through which one acts becomes the channel through which one undergoes the corresponding consequence. This underscores personal responsibility and the inescapability of karma-phala.
In the Anushasana Parva’s instruction on dharma, Bhishma continues his ethical teaching, emphasizing the principle of karmic retribution: deeds performed are not lost but mature into results that the agent must experience.