Shloka 13
जपयोगयोः तुल्यफलनिर्णयः
Adhyāya 193: Adjudication of the Comparable Fruits of Japa and Yoga
सर्वकामैर्व॒ता: केचिद्धेमाभरण भूषिता: । प्राणधारणमात्र तु केषांचिदुपपद्यते । श्रमेण महता केचित् कुर्वन्ति प्राणधारणम्,वहाँ किये हुए कर्मका फल प्रत्यक्ष उपलब्ध होता है। उस लोकमें कुछ लोग बड़े-बड़े महलोंमें रहते, अच्छे आसनोंपर बैठते और उत्तमोत्तम वस्तुएँ खाते-पीते हैं। समस्त कामनाओंसे सम्पन्न और सुवर्णमय आभूषणोंसे विभूषित होते हैं तथा कुछ लोगोंको प्राणधारणमात्रके लिये भोजन प्राप्त होता है, कुछ लोग बड़े परिश्रमसे तपोमय जीवन व्यतीत करते हुए प्राण धारण करते हैं (इस प्रकार वह लोक इस लोकसे सर्वथा उत्कृष्ट है)
bharadvāja uvāca | sarvakāmair vṛtāḥ kecid hemābharaṇa-bhūṣitāḥ | prāṇa-dhāraṇa-mātraṁ tu keṣāṁcid upapadyate | śrameṇa mahatā kecit kurvanti prāṇa-dhāraṇam |
Bharadvāja said: In that realm, some are surrounded by every desired enjoyment and are adorned with golden ornaments. Yet for some, only enough sustenance to keep life going is obtained; and some, with great exertion, manage merely to maintain their breath. Thus, even there, the fruits of action appear in visible form, and beings experience differing conditions according to their deeds.
भरद्वाज उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights karmaphala: beings experience unequal conditions—luxury, mere subsistence, or life sustained through hard toil—according to the results of their past actions. Ethical conduct and disciplined action shape one’s lived circumstances, even in other realms.
Bharadvāja is describing a realm where the outcomes of deeds are directly experienced. He contrasts those enjoying complete pleasures and golden adornments with those who receive only minimal food or must labor greatly just to stay alive, illustrating graded results of karma.