Shloka 15

Śama-prāptiḥ — Gautamī–Lubdhaka–Pannaga–Mṛtyu–Kāla-saṃvāda

Restraint through the Analysis of Karma and Time

Devanagari script

भीष्म उवाच परतन्त्रं कथं हेतुमात्मानमनुपश्यसि । कर्मणां हि महाभाग सूक्ष्म होतदतीन्द्रियम्‌,भीष्मजी कहते हैं--महाभाग! तुम तो सदा परतन्त्र हो (काल, अदृष्ट और ईश्वरके अधीन हो), फिर अपनेको शुभाशुभ कर्मोंका कारण क्‍यों समझते हो? वास्तवमें कर्मोंका कारण क्या है, यह विषय अत्यन्त सूक्ष्म तथा इन्द्रियोंकी पहुँचसे बाहर है

Transliteration

bhīṣma uvāca | paratantraṁ kathaṁ hetum ātmānam anupaśyasi | karmaṇāṁ hi mahābhāga sūkṣmo hy etad atīndriyam |

Translation

Bhishma said: “O noble one, since you are ever dependent—subject to Time, unseen destiny, and the Lord—how do you regard yourself as the cause of your auspicious and inauspicious deeds? For the true causality behind actions is exceedingly subtle and lies beyond the reach of the senses.”

Word by Word

• {'bhīṣma uvāca': 'Bhishma said', 'paratantram': 'dependent on another

• not autonomous (under higher powers such as time, fate, God)', 'katham': 'how? why?', 'hetum': 'cause

• responsible factor', 'ātmānam': 'oneself

• the self (as the doer/agent)', 'anupaśyasi': 'you perceive/consider

• you look upon (as)', 'karmaṇām': 'of actions/deeds', 'mahābhāga': 'O fortunate/noble one (honorific address)', 'sūkṣmaḥ': 'subtle

• hard to discern', 'hi': 'indeed

• for', 'etat': 'this', 'atīndriyam': 'beyond the senses

Speaker

भीष्म उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Bhishma