Shloka 47
अव्यक्त-मानस-सृष्टिवादः
Doctrine of Creation from the Unmanifest ‘Mānasa’
पूर्वदेहकृतं कर्म शुभं वा यदि वाशुभम् । प्राज्ञ मूं तथा शूरं भजते यादृशं कृतम्
pūrvadehakṛtaṃ karma śubhaṃ vā yadi vāśubham | prājñaṃ mūṃ tathā śūraṃ bhajate yādṛśaṃ kṛtam ||
The Brahmin said: Whatever deed a person performed in a former body—whether auspicious or inauspicious—its corresponding result inevitably comes to them. Whether one is wise, foolish, or heroic, one must experience the fruit that matches what was done before.
ब्राह्मण उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse teaches the inevitability of karmic fruition: actions done in a previous life—good or bad—ripen into corresponding experiences, regardless of one’s present intelligence, ignorance, or valor.
In the Shanti Parva’s didactic discourse, a Brahmin speaker explains a principle of moral order: the outcomes people face are shaped by prior deeds, emphasizing ethical responsibility across lifetimes.