Shloka 40
शुभाशुभफल प्रेत्य लभते भूतसाक्षिकम् | अतिरिच्येत यो यत्र तत्कर्ता लभते फलम्,मनुष्य शुभ और अशुभ जो कर्म करता है, उसके पाँच महाभूत साक्षी होते हैं। उन शुभ और अशुभ कर्मोका फल मृत्युके पश्चात् उसे प्राप्त होता है। उन दोनों प्रकारके कर्मोंमें जो अधिक होता है, उसीका फल कर्ताको प्राप्त होता है
śubhāśubha-phalaṁ pretya labhate bhūta-sākṣikam | atiricyeta yo yatra tat-kartā labhate phalam ||
Vyāsa said: After death, a person receives the fruit of his good and evil deeds, with the five great elements standing as witnesses. And of the two—merit and demerit—whichever is greater, the doer chiefly attains the corresponding result.
व्यास उवाच
Educational Q&A
Actions have inevitable consequences that mature after death; the cosmos itself—symbolized by the five great elements—bears witness, and the predominant weight of one’s merit or demerit determines the chief result experienced.
In the Śānti Parva’s instruction on dharma and conduct, Vyāsa states a principle of karmic accounting: good and bad deeds are witnessed by the elements and yield their fruits in the post-mortem state, with the stronger side (good or evil) shaping the outcome.