Shloka 1
ऑपन--हू< बक। ] अति्शशा:< चतुःषष्ट्यधिकशततमो< ध्याय: भीष्मका शुभाशु भ कर्मोको ही सुख-दुःखकी प्राप्तिमें कारण हुए धर्मके अनुष्ठानपर जोर देना भीष्म उवाच कार्यते यच्च क्रियते सच्चासच्च कृताकृतम् । तत्राश्वसीत सत्कृत्वा असत्कृत्वा न विश्वसेत्
bhīṣma uvāca | kāryate yac ca kriyate sac cāsac ca kṛtākṛtam | tatrāśvasīta satkṛtvā asatkṛtvā na viśvaset ||
Bhīṣma dit : «Mon enfant ! Tout ce qu’un homme fait accomplir, et tout ce qu’il accomplit lui-même—bon ou mauvais, fait ou laissé inaccompli—à cet égard, après avoir pratiqué le bien, qu’il prenne assurance, certain d’en recevoir un fruit propice. Mais après avoir commis le mal, qu’il ne se fie pas à l’espoir d’en tirer quelque bon résultat.»
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Bhishma teaches moral causality: after doing what is right (sat), one may be confident of auspicious fruit; after doing what is wrong (asat), one should not expect or rely on a good result. The verse emphasizes deliberate commitment to dharma rather than hoping to ‘get lucky’ from unethical action.
In Anushasana Parva, Bhishma instructs Yudhishthira on dharma and proper conduct. Here he frames a practical guideline about actions one performs personally or gets done through others, urging confidence in virtuous deeds and warning against expecting benefit from wrongdoing.