Shloka 22
उशनसः (शुक्रस्य) चरितम् — The Account of Uśanā (Śukra): Yoga, Grievance, and Pacification
कृतान्तविधिसंयुक्त: सर्वो लोक: प्रपद्यते । गतं गच्छन्ति चाध्वानं सर्वभूतानि सर्वदा,समस्त जीव जगत्-विधाताके विधानसे ही परिचालित हो सुख-दुःख पाता है और समस्त प्राणी सदा चले हुए मार्गपर ही चलते हैं
kṛtāntavidhisaṃyuktaḥ sarvo lokaḥ prapadyate | gataṃ gacchanti cādhvānaṃ sarvabhūtāni sarvadā ||
Bhishma said: “All the world moves under the ordinance of Kṛtānta (the power of destiny—time and death) and submits to that governing law. All beings, at all times, proceed along the already-set path—experiencing pleasure and pain as the cosmic order directs—rather than acting in complete independence.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse emphasizes that living beings operate within an overarching cosmic ordinance (kṛtānta-vidhi). Pleasure and pain, and the general course of life, unfold according to an established order; therefore one should cultivate clarity, restraint, and equanimity while performing dharma rather than clinging to absolute personal control.
In the Śānti Parva instruction, Bhīṣma is teaching Yudhiṣṭhira about the nature of worldly experience and governance by time/destiny. He frames human life as moving along a pre-set course, guiding the listener toward sober ethical reflection and steadiness amid suffering.