Shloka 33
उशनसः (शुक्रस्य) चरितम् — The Account of Uśanā (Śukra): Yoga, Grievance, and Pacification
केन वा कर्मणा शक््यमथ ज्ञानेन केन वा । तदवाप्तुं फलं विप्र तन्मे व्याख्यातुमहसि,विप्रवर! किस कर्म अथवा ज्ञानसे उस फलको प्राप्त किया जा सकता है? यह मुझे बतानेकी कृपा करें
kena vā karmaṇā śakyam atha jñānena kena vā | tad avāptuṁ phalaṁ vipra tan me vyākhyātum arhasi ||
Bhīṣma preguntó al brāhmaṇa erudito: «¿Por qué clase de acción, o por qué clase de conocimiento, puede alcanzarse de verdad ese fruto anhelado? Te ruego que me lo expliques.»
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights a classical Mahābhārata concern: the means must match the end. Bhīṣma asks which discipline—right action (karma) or right knowledge (jñāna)—is capable of yielding the intended ‘fruit’ (phala), inviting a systematic explanation of ethical practice versus liberating insight.
In the didactic setting of Śānti Parva, Bhīṣma, as an authoritative elder-teacher, poses a pointed question to a learned brāhmaṇa: specify the concrete path by which the promised result can be attained, whether through conduct/ritual duty or through knowledge.