Shloka 14
Karma-Phala Rahasya and the Ethics of Dāna (कर्मफल-रहस्यं दानधर्मश्च)
धनं लभेत दानेन मौनेनाज्ञां विशाम्पते । उपभोगांश्व तपसा ब्रद्मचर्येण जीवितम्
dhanaṁ labheta dānena maunena ājñāṁ viśāmpate | upabhogāṁś ca tapasā brahmacaryeṇa jīvitam, prajānātha |
Bhishma dijo: «Oh señor del pueblo, la riqueza se obtiene mediante el dar; mediante el voto de silencio (mauna) se adquiere el poder de que otros obedezcan las órdenes; mediante la austeridad (tapas) se alcanzan los goces; y mediante la práctica del brahmacarya se asegura la vida—longevidad y vigor vital. Así, cada disciplina, seguida conforme al dharma, da su fruto propio».
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Different dharmic disciplines yield distinct results: charity brings wealth (through social merit and reciprocal support), silence cultivates authority and obedience (through restraint and gravitas), austerity leads to legitimate enjoyments (as earned fruits of discipline), and brahmacarya preserves vitality and longevity.
In Anuśāsana Parva, Bhīṣma instructs the ruler on practical dharma. Here he lists a set of cause-and-effect teachings—linking specific vows and disciplines to their ethical and worldly outcomes—aimed at guiding royal conduct and personal self-governance.