Shloka 22
जपयोगयोः तुल्यफलनिर्णयः
Adhyāya 193: Adjudication of the Comparable Fruits of Japa and Yoga
असत्कर्माणि कुर्वन्तस्तिर्यग्योनिषु चापरे । क्षीणायुषस्तथा चान्ये नश्यन्ति पृथिवीतले
bharadvāja uvāca | asatkarmāṇi kurvantastiryagyoniṣu cāpare | kṣīṇāyuṣastathā cānye naśyanti pṛthivītale |
Bharadvāja berkata: “Mereka yang melakukan perbuatan tidak benar akan terlahir kembali dalam rahim binatang dan burung. Dan sebagian yang lain, ketika usia mereka habis, binasa di muka bumi dan jatuh ke keadaan-keadaan yang lebih rendah.”
भरद्वाज उवाच
Educational Q&A
Unrighteous actions (asat-karman) bring painful consequences: moral decline can lead to rebirth in lower, non-human forms, and to ruin when one’s allotted lifespan is exhausted. The verse emphasizes personal responsibility and the ethical law of karma shaping future states.
In Śānti Parva’s instructional setting, the sage Bharadvāja is explaining the outcomes of sinful conduct. He contrasts different fates that befall wrongdoers—some are reborn among animals, while others meet destruction after their life-span ends—illustrating karmic retribution and moral order.