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 dit : «Ô seigneur des peuples, la richesse s’obtient par le don ; par le vœu de silence (mauna) on acquiert le pouvoir de faire obéir ses ordres ; par l’austérité (tapas) on atteint les jouissances ; et par la pratique du brahmacarya on assure la vie—longévité et force vitale. Ainsi, chaque discipline, poursuivie selon le dharma, porte son fruit propre».
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.