Shloka 37
भृगु–भरद्वाजसंवादः: वर्णभेदस्य कर्माधारितव्याख्या
Bhrigu–Bharadvaja Dialogue: A Karma-Based Account of Varṇa
उत्सहन्ते च ते वृत्तिमन्यामप्युपसेवितुम् । स्वकर्मणा तु नियतं भवितव्यं तु तत् तथा,“वे दूसरी वृत्तिका सेवन करनेके लिये भी उत्साह रखते हैं; परंतु अपने कर्मके अनुसार जो नियत है, वैसा ही भविष्यमें होता है
utsahante ca te vṛttim anyām apy upasevitum | svakarmaṇā tu niyataṁ bhavitavyaṁ tu tat tathā ||
Bhishma said: “They may even show eagerness to take up another livelihood as well; yet what is fixed by one’s own karma is what must come to pass—so indeed it happens.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Human beings may attempt to change their occupation or life-course, but the outcome is ultimately shaped by what is determined through their own karma; effort operates within the bounds of karmic causality.
In Bhishma’s instruction during the Shanti Parva, he comments on people’s attempts to adopt alternative livelihoods, emphasizing that what is karmically fixed for a person is what will finally manifest.