Shloka 47
अव्यक्त-मानस-सृष्टिवादः
Doctrine of Creation from the Unmanifest ‘Mānasa’
पूर्वदेहकृतं कर्म शुभं वा यदि वाशुभम् । प्राज्ञ मूं तथा शूरं भजते यादृशं कृतम्
pūrvadehakṛtaṃ karma śubhaṃ vā yadi vāśubham | prājñaṃ mūṃ tathā śūraṃ bhajate yādṛśaṃ kṛtam ||
Le brāhmane dit : Quel que soit l’acte accompli par un homme dans un corps antérieur—heureux ou funeste—son fruit correspondant vient inévitablement à lui. Qu’il soit sage, sot ou héroïque, il doit éprouver le résultat conforme à ce qu’il fit jadis.
ब्राह्मण उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse teaches the inevitability of karmic fruition: actions done in a previous life—good or bad—ripen into corresponding experiences, regardless of one’s present intelligence, ignorance, or valor.
In the Shanti Parva’s didactic discourse, a Brahmin speaker explains a principle of moral order: the outcomes people face are shaped by prior deeds, emphasizing ethical responsibility across lifetimes.