Shloka 40
श्रेयो-धर्मकर्मविचारः
Inquiry into Śreyas, Dharma, and Karma
स तत्र संहारविसर्गमेक॑ स्वधर्मजैर्बन्धनै: क्लिश्यमान: । ततः स हारिद्रमुपैति वर्ण संहारविक्षेपशते व्यतीते
sa tatra saṁhāra-visargam ekaṁ svadharma-jair bandhanaiḥ kliśyamānaḥ | tataḥ sa hāridram upaiti varṇaṁ saṁhāra-vikṣepa-śate vyatīte ||
Di sana, makhluk berjasad itu mengalami satu putaran peleburan dan pemunculan kembali, tersiksa oleh belenggu yang lahir dari dharmanya sendiri—kewajiban dan watak yang mengikat. Lalu, setelah seratus kali pergiliran penarikan dan pemancaran itu berlalu, ia mencapai keadaan ‘haridra’—kuning keemasan—yang tawny.
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Even what is called one’s own dharma can become a binding force when it hardens into attachment and karmic compulsion; the being is carried through repeated cycles of dissolution and re-manifestation until a further qualitative transformation is reached.
Bhīṣma describes a metaphysical process: an individual being, afflicted by bonds arising from its own nature and duties, passes through repeated alternations of cosmic withdrawal (saṁhāra) and projection (visarga/vikṣepa), and after many such cycles attains a distinct ‘hāridra’ state.