Adhyaya 14 — The Messenger of Yama Explains Karmic Retribution and the Causes of Naraka Torments
अकुर्वन् पापकं कर्म पुण्यं वाप्यवतिष्ठते ।
यद्यत्प्राप्नोति पुरुषो दुःखं सुखमथापि वा ॥
akurvan pāpakaṃ karma puṇyaṃ vāpy avatiṣṭhate / yad yat prāpnoti puruṣo duḥkhaṃ sukham athāpi vā
Sans avoir accompli une action fautive—ni même une action méritoire—nul ne demeure pour en éprouver les fruits. Tout ce qu’un être obtient, peine ou plaisir, provient de l’acte (karma).
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The text asserts karmic determinacy: experiences of happiness or suffering are not causeless but trace back to one’s deeds (including mental and verbal acts by implication).
Dharma/karma instruction; ancillary to purāṇic narrative rather than a lakṣaṇa section.
This frames the cosmos as ethically intelligible: ‘fate’ is the maturation of prior intention and action, preserving a moral order (ṛta/dharma) across time.