Shloka 11
बलीन्द्रसंवादः — Kāla, Anityatā, and the Limits of Agency
Mahābhārata 12.217
संयोगलक्षणोत्पत्ति: कर्मणा गृह्ते यथा । करणै: कर्मनिर्वृत्ति: कर्ता यद् यद् विचेष्टते । कीर्त्यते शब्दसंज्ञाभि: को5हमेषो5प्यसाविति
saṃyoga-lakṣaṇotpattiḥ karmaṇā gṛhyate yathā | karaṇaiḥ karma-nirvṛttiḥ kartā yad yad viceṣṭate | kīrtyate śabda-saṃjñābhiḥ ko’ham eṣo’py asāv iti ||
Dari pertautan Prakṛti dan Puruṣa lahirlah dunia yang bergerak dan tak bergerak; hal itu dipahami melalui tindakan (karma) beserta akibatnya. Dengan alat-alat—pikiran dan indra—makhluk berjasad ini berbuat; dan apa pun perbuatan yang ia lakukan, oleh perbuatan itulah ia disebut sebagai pelakunya. Maka dengan sebutan-sebutan lazim—“siapa?”, “aku”, “ini”, dan “itu”—orang menggambarkannya dalam ranah tindakan.
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Identity as “doer” is a conventional designation arising in the domain of karma: when consciousness (Puruṣa) is conjoined with nature (Prakṛti), actions occur through instruments like mind and senses, and on that basis one is labeled “I/this/that” and held to agency.
In the Śānti Parva’s instruction on liberation-oriented ethics and philosophy, Bhīṣma explains to the inquirer how the world-process and personal identity are understood through action, and how linguistic labels of selfhood track performed deeds rather than an ultimate, independent agent.