Shloka 124
धर्मार्थी प्राप्तुयाद् धर्ममर्थार्थी चार्थमाप्रुयात् । कामानवाष्लुयात् कामी प्रजार्थी प्राप्तुयात् प्रजाम्ू
dharmārthī prāpnuyād dharmam arthārthī cārtham āpnuyāt | kāmān avāpnuyāt kāmī prajārthī prāpnuyāt prajām ||
Bhīṣma said: One who seeks dharma attains dharma; one who seeks wealth attains wealth. One who seeks pleasures attains pleasures; and one who seeks offspring attains offspring. The teaching shows that a person’s chosen aim, upheld by steady effort, shapes the fruit received; therefore one should set one’s highest goal upon what is truly worthy.
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
A person tends to obtain the result that corresponds to the aim they consciously pursue—dharma, wealth, pleasure, or progeny—so one should choose one’s goal wisely, especially prioritizing dharma as the ethically stabilizing aim.
In the Anuśāsana Parva, Bhīṣma continues his instruction on right conduct and life-goals, stating a general principle: seekers of different aims (dharma, artha, kāma, prajā) obtain the corresponding fruits through their directed striving.