Shloka 21
Adhyātma-krama: Indriya–Manas–Buddhi–Ātman Hierarchy and Citta-Prasāda (आध्यात्मक्रमः)
सर्ग: कालो धृतिर्वेदा: कर्ता कार्य क्रियाफलम् । एतत् ते कथितं तात यन्मां त्वं परिपृच्छसि,तात! तुमने मुझसे जो कुछ पूछा था, उसके अनुसार मैंने तुम्हारे समक्ष सर्ग, काल, धारणा, वेद, कर्ता, कार्य और क्रियाफलके विषयमें ये सब बातें कही हैं
sargaḥ kālo dhṛtir vedāḥ kartā kārya-kriyā-phalam | etat te kathitaṃ tāta yan māṃ tvaṃ paripṛcchasi ||
Vyāsa said: “Dear child, just as you asked, I have explained to you creation and emanation (sarga), time (kāla), sustaining steadiness and order (dhṛti), the Vedas, the agent (kartā), the work to be done (kārya), and the fruit of action (kriyā-phala).”
व्यास उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse summarizes a framework for ethical and metaphysical understanding: actions (kriyā) arise from an agent (kartā) directed toward a duty or task (kārya), and they yield results (phala), all within the larger realities of creation (sarga), time (kāla), sustaining steadiness/order (dhṛti), and Vedic knowledge (vedāḥ).
Vyāsa concludes a response to a disciple’s inquiry by listing the principal topics he has covered, signaling that the requested explanation—about the structure of the world and the logic of action and consequence—has been completed.