Shloka 8
Varṇa-lakṣaṇa and Ātma-saṃyama (Marks of Social Conduct and Self-Restraint) | वर्णलक्षणम् एवं आत्मसंयमः
सुशीघ्रमपि धावन्तं विधानमनुधावति । शेते सह शयानेन येन येन यथा कृतम्,जिस-जिस मनुष्यने जैसा कर्म किया है, वह उसके पीछे लगा रहता है। यदि कर्ता पुरुष शीघ्रतापूर्वक दौड़ता है तो वह भी उतनी ही तेजीके साथ उसके पीछे जाता है। जब वह सोता है तो उसका कर्मफल भी उसके साथ ही सो जाता है। जब वह खड़ा होता है तो वह भी पास ही खड़ा रहता है और जब मनुष्य चलता है तो उसके पीछे-पीछे वह भी चलने लगता है। इतना ही नहीं, कोई कार्य करते समय भी कर्म-संस्कार उसका साथ नहीं छोड़ता। सदा छायाके समान पीछे लगा रहता है
suśīghram api dhāvantaṃ vidhānam anudhāvati | śete saha śayānena yena yena yathā kṛtam ||
Bhishma said: Even if a man runs very swiftly, the ordained consequence of his deeds runs after him. When he lies down, it lies down with him—following him in every circumstance, exactly in accordance with what he has done. The teaching is that karma’s result is inescapable and accompanies the doer like a constant shadow, shaping experience according to one’s actions.
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
A person cannot outrun the consequences of their actions: the moral order (vidhāna) ensures that karma’s results accompany the doer in all states—waking, moving, or sleeping—manifesting according to what was done.
In Shanti Parva’s instruction, Bhishma is teaching about dharma and moral causality. He uses vivid imagery—running and sleeping—to show that karmic consequence remains inseparably attached to the agent.