Shloka 1
ऑपन--हू< बक। ] अति्शशा:< चतुःषष्ट्यधिकशततमो< ध्याय: भीष्मका शुभाशु भ कर्मोको ही सुख-दुःखकी प्राप्तिमें कारण हुए धर्मके अनुष्ठानपर जोर देना भीष्म उवाच कार्यते यच्च क्रियते सच्चासच्च कृताकृतम् । तत्राश्वसीत सत्कृत्वा असत्कृत्वा न विश्वसेत्
bhīṣma uvāca | kāryate yac ca kriyate sac cāsac ca kṛtākṛtam | tatrāśvasīta satkṛtvā asatkṛtvā na viśvaset ||
Bhishma said: Whatever a person causes to be done, and whatever he himself does—whether it is good or bad, done or left undone—one should take confidence after performing what is good, assured that it will yield auspicious results. But having performed what is wrong, one should not trust in the hope of any good outcome from it.
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Bhishma teaches moral causality: after doing what is right (sat), one may be confident of auspicious fruit; after doing what is wrong (asat), one should not expect or rely on a good result. The verse emphasizes deliberate commitment to dharma rather than hoping to ‘get lucky’ from unethical action.
In Anushasana Parva, Bhishma instructs Yudhishthira on dharma and proper conduct. Here he frames a practical guideline about actions one performs personally or gets done through others, urging confidence in virtuous deeds and warning against expecting benefit from wrongdoing.