Shloka 23
Dharma-śaṅkā-nivāraṇa: Yudhiṣṭhira’s Response on Karma-Phala and Trust in Dharma
कारणं तस्य देहो<यं धातु: कर्मणि वर्तते । स यथा प्रेरयत्येनं तथायं कुरुतेडवश:,यह मानव-शरीर जो कर्ममें प्रवृत्त होता है, वह ईश्वरके कर्मफलसम्पादन-कार्यका साधन है। वे इसे जैसी प्रेरणा देते हैं, यह विवश होकर (स्वेच्छा--प्रारब्धभोगके लिये) वैसा ही करता है
kāraṇaṁ tasya deho ’yaṁ dhātuḥ karmaṇi vartate | sa yathā prerayaty enaṁ tathāyaṁ kurute ’vaśaḥ ||
This body is the instrument of that higher agency; made of elements, it moves within the sphere of action. As the Lord impels a person, so—lacking full autonomy—does he act, compelled to undergo what prior deeds have set in motion.
युधिछिर उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse frames the embodied person as acting through a body that is an instrument in the field of karma; actions unfold according to an inner impelling agency (Īśvara/antaryāmin) and the momentum of prior deeds, highlighting the tension between personal agency and compulsion under karma.
Yudhiṣṭhira reflects on why beings act as they do, explaining that the body—made of elements—serves as the means through which karmic results are worked out; thus a person often acts under compulsion, as if driven by a higher prompting aligned with prior karma.