Shloka 16
Adhyāya 270 — Yudhiṣṭhira’s inquiry on saṃnyāsa; Bhīṣma on calculable time, tamas, and karma
Vṛtra–Uśanā exemplum begins
तत्र देवा: प्रयच्छन्ति राज्यानि च धनानि च । शुभे: कर्मभिरारब्धा: प्रच्छिन्दन्त्यशुभेषु च
tatra devāḥ prayacchanti rājyāni ca dhanāni ca | śubhaiḥ karmabhir ārabdhāḥ pracchindanty aśubheṣu ca ||
Bhīṣma said: “There, the gods grant kingdoms and wealth and the like in return for the petitioners’ meritorious deeds; but when the fruition of unwholesome deeds arrives, they cut off—even what was previously bestowed—such as those kingdoms and possessions.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Prosperity and power are portrayed as karmically conditioned: merit can bring divine support in the form of kingdom and wealth, but the ripening of demerit can revoke even earlier gains. The verse emphasizes moral causality and the instability of worldly success when opposed by aśubha-karma.
Bhīṣma explains a principle observed in that setting: the gods appear to reward supplicants according to their past good deeds by granting rulership and riches, yet when adverse karma matures, those same boons are withdrawn—kingdoms and wealth are taken away.