उशनसः (शुक्रस्य) चरितम् — The Account of Uśanā (Śukra): Yoga, Grievance, and Pacification
नूनं तु तस्य तपस: सावशेषमिहास्ति वै । यदहं प्रष्टमिच्छामि भगवन् कर्मण: फलम्,भगवन्! अवश्य ही मेरी उस तपस्याका कोई अंश अब भी शेष रह गया है, अतः मैं उस कर्मफलके विषयमें प्रश्न करना चाहता हूँ
nūnaṃ tu tasya tapasaḥ sāvaśeṣam ihāsti vai | yad ahaṃ praṣṭum icchāmi bhagavan karmaṇaḥ phalam ||
Bhīṣma sprach: „Gewiss, o Erhabener, ist noch ein Rest jener Askese in mir verblieben; darum möchte ich nach der Frucht des Handelns fragen — nach den Ergebnissen, die Taten unausweichlich hervorbringen.“
भीष्म उवाच
Actions (karma) have definite consequences (phala), and the wise seek clarity about this moral causality; spiritual merit gained through tapas can enable such inquiry and understanding.
Bhīṣma, in a didactic exchange, respectfully addresses a revered teacher as “Bhagavān” and states that some remaining power of his austerities must still be operative, since he is moved to ask a focused question about the fruits of actions.