Shloka 11

Devanagari script

स्वकर्मफलनिभक्षेपं विधानपरिरक्षितम्‌ । भूतग्राममिमं काल: समनन्‍्तात्‌ परिकर्षति,अपने-अपने कर्मका फल एक धरोहरके समान है, जो कर्मजनित अदृष्टके द्वारा सुरक्षित रहता है। उपयुक्त अवसर आनेपर यह काल इस कर्मफलको प्राणिसमुदायके पास खींच लाता है

Transliteration

svakarmaphalanibhakṣepaṁ vidhānaparirakṣitam | bhūtagrāmam imaṁ kālaḥ samanantāt parikarṣati ||

Translation

Bhishma sprach: „Die Frucht der eigenen Taten gleicht einem beiseitegelegten Pfand, bewahrt unter der Herrschaft der kosmischen Ordnung. Wenn die rechte Gelegenheit kommt, zieht die Zeit diese gespeicherte Frucht zur ganzen Gemeinschaft der Wesen hin—und stellt jedes Geschöpf dem gegenüber, was es sich erworben hat.“

Word by Word

स्वकर्मफलनिभक्षेपम्a deposit/pledge like one’s own action’s fruit

विधानपरिरक्षितम्protected/guarded by ordinance (vidhāna)

भूतग्रामम्the multitude/aggregate of beings

इमम्this

कालःTime (as an agent)

समन्तात्from all sides; on every side

परिकर्षतिdraws/pulls (towards); drags along

Speaker

भीष्म उवाच

Characters & Entities

Bhishma

Kāla (Time)

Bhūtagrāma (community of beings)

Karmaphala (fruit of action)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Karmic results are not lost: each person’s deeds leave a preserved ‘deposit’ of consequences, safeguarded by cosmic order, and Time inevitably delivers those results when conditions mature.

What is happening in the narrative?

In the Shanti Parva’s instruction on dharma and right understanding, Bhishma explains to the listener that the unfolding of pleasure and pain in beings is governed by karma, with Time acting as the force that brings stored results to fruition.