Shloka 18
उशनसः (शुक्रस्य) चरितम् — The Account of Uśanā (Śukra): Yoga, Grievance, and Pacification
क्षपयित्वा तु तं कालं गणितं कालचोदिता: । सावशेषेण कालेन सम्भवन्ति पुन: पुन:
kṣapayitvā tu taṃ kālaṃ gaṇitaṃ kālacoditāḥ | sāvaśeṣeṇa kālena sambhavanti punaḥ punaḥ ||
Bhīṣma dit : Ayant épuisé ce temps fixé et compté—poussés par le Temps lui-même—ils renaissent encore et encore, tant qu’il demeure un résidu de karma à éprouver. Ainsi, même après avoir goûté les fruits des actes au ciel ou en enfer durant la durée impartie, les êtres reviennent à l’existence mondaine jusqu’à ce que le reste du compte karmique soit acquitté.
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Even after a being enjoys or suffers the results of actions in heaven or hell for a fixed duration, rebirth continues until the remaining (residual) karma is exhausted; Time (kāla) is presented as the force that propels this recurring cycle.
In Bhīṣma’s instruction to Yudhiṣṭhira in the Śānti Parva, he explains the mechanics of post-mortem experience and return: beings spend the allotted term for their karmic fruits, and then—if any karmic residue remains—Time drives them back into repeated births in the world.