Shloka 12
Varṇa-lakṣaṇa and Ātma-saṃyama (Marks of Social Conduct and Self-Restraint) | वर्णलक्षणम् एवं आत्मसंयमः
अचोटद्यमानानि यथा पुष्पाणि च फलानि च । स्वं काल॑ नातिवर्तन्ते तथा कर्म पुरा कृतम्
Bhīṣma uvāca: acoṭadyamānāni yathā puṣpāṇi ca phalāni ca | svaṁ kālaṁ nātivartante tathā karma purā kṛtam ||
Bhishma dit : «De même que fleurs et fruits paraissent sur les arbres en leur saison, sans qu’on les pousse ni qu’on les contraigne, de même les actes accomplis jadis ne dépassent pas l’heure qui leur est assignée pour porter leurs effets. La force morale de l’action mûrit inévitablement, et nul ne peut échapper à son fruit lorsque vient son moment.»
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Karma bears fruit inevitably in its own appointed time. Just as natural processes like flowering and fruiting occur when the season arrives, past actions mature into results when their time comes; one cannot hasten, delay, or evade that fruition.
In the Śānti Parva’s instruction on dharma and right understanding, Bhīṣma teaches Yudhiṣṭhira through analogies. Here he uses the image of flowers and fruits appearing naturally to explain the certainty and timing of karmic results.