Shloka 8536
Adhyāya 208: Aṅgirasī-kanyāḥ
Enumeration of Aṅgiras’ daughters and attribute-names
विपाकमभिजानन्ति ते शिष्टा: शिष्टसम्मता: । जो शुभ और अशुभ कर्मोके फलसंचयसे सम्बन्ध रखनेवाले परिणामको जानते हैं, वे शिष्ट कहे गये है और शिष्ट पुरुषोंमें उनका समादर होता है
vipākam abhijānanti te śiṣṭāḥ śiṣṭa-sammatāḥ |
The hunter said: “Those who truly understand the vipāka—the ripening of actions, how auspicious and inauspicious deeds accumulate and yield their results—are called śiṣṭa, the cultured. Such people are honored and accepted among the cultured themselves, for their insight guides conduct in accordance with dharma.”
व्याध उवाच
Educational Q&A
A person is truly ‘śiṣṭa’ (cultured/exemplary) when they understand karma-vipāka—the way deeds, whether good or bad, mature into corresponding results. Such understanding becomes a basis for ethical restraint and right action.
In the Vana Parva’s dialogue where the hunter instructs on dharma, Vyādha defines who deserves the title ‘śiṣṭa’: those recognized by the wise because they grasp the moral causality linking actions to their outcomes.