Shloka 21
राजधर्मः, दण्डनीतिः, कर्तृत्व-विचारः च
Royal Duty, Lawful Discipline, and the Question of Agency
तथापि लोके कर्माणि समावर्तन्ति भारत । शुभाशुभफल चैते प्राप्तुवन्तीति मे मति:
tathāpi loke karmāṇi samāvartanti bhārata | śubhāśubhaphalaṃ caite prāptuvantīti me matiḥ ||
Vyāsa said: “Even so, O Bhārata, actions continue to recur in the world; and people indeed come to obtain their results—both auspicious and inauspicious. Such is my view.”
व्यास उवाच
Educational Q&A
Even if one accepts that worldly action is unavoidable and keeps recurring, one should recognize that actions inevitably yield consequences—good and bad. The ethical implication is to act with discernment, avoiding deeds that generate harmful results.
Vyāsa addresses a Bharata/Kuru listener in the Śānti Parva’s instructional setting, stating a principle of karmic continuity: people keep acting in the world and accordingly experience the fruits of their actions.