Shloka 10
दैव–पुरुषकार-प्रश्नः
Daiva–Puruṣakāra Inquiry: Fate and Human Effort
शुभेन कर्मणा सौख्यं दु:ःखं पापेन कर्मणा । कृतं फलति सर्वत्र नाकृतं भुज्यते क्वचित्
bhīṣma uvāca | śubhena karmaṇā saukhyaṁ duḥkhaṁ pāpena karmaṇā | kṛtaṁ phalati sarvatra nākṛtaṁ bhujyate kvacit |
Bhishma dijo: La dicha nace de la acción virtuosa, y el sufrimiento de la acción pecaminosa. Lo que uno ha hecho da fruto en todas partes; el resultado de lo no hecho no se experimenta jamás en ningún lugar. Así, el destino de una persona no es azar, sino obra de sus propios actos, y la responsabilidad moral no puede eludirse.
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Bhishma teaches the principle of karma: virtuous actions lead to happiness and sinful actions lead to suffering. Only performed actions produce results; one cannot experience the fruit of an action never done. This underscores ethical accountability and the inevitability of moral consequences.
In Anushasana Parva, Bhishma instructs Yudhishthira on dharma and right conduct. Here he states a general moral law about how actions inevitably yield corresponding results, reinforcing the ethical framework guiding a king and society.