Shloka 6
ज्ञानपूर्वा भवेल्लिप्सा लिप्सापूर्वाभिसंधिता । अभिसंधिपूर्वकं कर्म कर्ममूलं ततः फलम्,मनुष्यको पहले तो विषयका ज्ञान होता है; फिर उसके मनमें उसे पानेकी इच्छा उत्पन्न होती है। उसके बाद “इस कार्यको सिद्ध करूँ” यह निश्चय और प्रयत्न आरम्भ होता है। फिर कर्म सम्पन्न होता और उसका फल मिलता है
jñānapūrvā bhavellipsā lipsāpūrvābhisaṃdhitā | abhisaṃdhipūrvakaṃ karma karmamūlaṃ tataḥ phalam ||
Bhishma said: First there arises knowledge of an object; from that knowledge springs the desire to obtain it. From desire comes deliberate resolve—‘I will accomplish this’—and the effort that follows. Then action is performed, and from action its result is obtained. Thus, human experience moves in a moral chain from cognition to craving, from intention to deed, and from deed to consequence.
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Bhishma outlines a causal sequence: knowledge of an object leads to desire, desire leads to intention and effort, intention leads to action, and action produces results. Ethical responsibility therefore begins not only with the deed but with the inner stages—what one attends to, desires, and resolves.
In the Shanti Parva’s instruction on dharma and right conduct, Bhishma is advising Yudhishthira by analyzing how actions arise in the mind and how their fruits follow, emphasizing the inner origins of karma.