Shloka 20
एवं संसरमाणानि जीवान्यहमदृष्टवान् । यथा कर्म तथा लाभ इति शास्त्रनिदर्शनम्
evaṁ saṁsaramāṇāni jīvāny aham adṛṣṭavān | yathā karma tathā lābha iti śāstra-nidarśanam ||
Bhīṣma said: “I have myself observed living beings wandering through saṁsāra. The scriptures illustrate this principle: as one’s actions are, so are one’s gains.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse teaches moral causality: the fruits one receives in life are shaped by one’s own actions—good or harmful deeds lead to corresponding outcomes. This is presented not merely as opinion but as a principle affirmed by śāstra.
In the Śānti Parva’s instruction on dharma and right conduct, Bhīṣma speaks as a teacher to the listener (Yudhiṣṭhira in the broader frame), grounding his counsel in both personal observation of beings in saṁsāra and in scriptural testimony.