Shloka 22
Dasyu-maryādā and Buddhi-guided Rāja-nīti (दस्युमर्यादा तथा बुद्धिप्रधान-राजनीति)
पापं कर्म कृतं किंचिद् यदि तस्मिन् न दृश्यते । नृपते तस्य पुत्रेषु पौत्रेष्वपि च नप्तृषु
pāpaṁ karma kṛtaṁ kiñcid yadi tasmin na dṛśyate | nṛpate tasya putreṣu pautreṣv api ca naptṛṣu ||
Bhīṣma dit : «Ô roi, si l’on ne voit pas de conséquence immédiate s’abattre sur l’auteur d’un acte fautif commis ici-bas, il faut comprendre que son fruit sera éprouvé par sa descendance — ses fils, ses petits-fils, et même ses arrière-petits-fils.»
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Moral causality may not manifest immediately in the doer’s life; the fruit of wrongdoing can ripen later and be borne by one’s lineage, underscoring the seriousness of ethical conduct and the long reach of karma.
In the Śānti Parva’s instruction to the king, Bhīṣma continues advising on dharma and governance, warning that unseen consequences of sinful actions should not be taken as absence of result, since the outcome may fall upon the doer’s descendants.