Shloka 16

Devanagari script

चक्षुषा मनसा वाचा कर्मणा च चतुर्विधम्‌ | कुरुते यादृशं कर्म तादृशं प्रतिपद्यते,मनुष्य नेत्र, मन, वाणी और क्रियाके द्वारा चार प्रकारके कर्म करता है और जैसा कर्म करता है वैसा ही उसका फल पाता है

Transliteration

cakṣuṣā manasā vācā karmaṇā ca caturvidham | kurute yādṛśaṃ karma tādṛśaṃ pratipadyate ||

Translation

A human being performs action in four ways—through the eye, the mind, speech, and bodily deed. Whatever the character of one’s action, of that very character is the result one comes to experience.

Word by Word

चक्षुषाby the eye

मनसाby the mind

वाचाby speech

कर्मणाby action/deed

चand

चतुर्विधम्fourfold

कुरुतेdoes/performs

यादृशम्such as/whatever kind of

कर्मdeed, action

तादृशम्such (of that kind)

प्रतिपद्यतेattains/obtains (comes to)

Speaker

पराशर उवाच

Characters & Entities

प

पराशर (Parāśara)

म

मनुष्य (human being)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Cross References

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Karma is fourfold—through perception (eye), intention (mind), speech, and bodily deed—and the fruit one experiences corresponds to the moral quality of what one does in these domains.

What is happening in the narrative?

In Śānti Parva’s instructional discourse, the sage Parāśara is teaching ethical causality: human conduct across thought, word, and deed (including what one chooses to look at) shapes one’s future experience.