Shloka 24
अव्यक्त–प्रकृति–इन्द्रियविचारः
The Unmanifest, Prakṛtis, and the Sense-Complex
अधस्तिर्यग्गतिं चैव स्वर्गे चैव परां गतिम् । प्राप्रोति स्वकृतैरात्मा प्राज्ञस्येहेतरस्य च
adhastiryaggatiṁ caiva svarge caiva parāṁ gatim | prāpnoti svakṛtair ātmā prājñasyehetarasya ca ||
Dijo Parāśara: Sea uno sabio o esté extraviado en este mundo, el Sí mismo alcanza—estrictamente conforme a sus propios actos—la vía descendente (estados infernales), la vía lateral (nacimiento entre animales y aves), el cielo y aun el destino supremo.
पराशर उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse teaches that the self’s destiny—hellish descent, animal birth, heaven, or the highest goal—follows one’s own actions. Wisdom or ignorance does not override karmic causality; deeds are decisive.
In Śānti Parva’s didactic setting, Parāśara instructs on the moral law of karma and its results, explaining how different post-death destinations arise from one’s conduct.