Shloka 12
कर्मनाशाभावः, गर्भे जीवप्रवेशः, आचारधर्मोपदेशः
Karma’s Non-Extinction, Jīva’s Entry into the Embryo, and Instruction on Conduct-Dharma
यद् यच्च कुरुते कर्म शुभं वा यदि वाशुभम् | पूर्वदेहकृतं सर्वमवश्यमुपभुज्यते,मनुष्य शुभ अथवा अशुभ जो-जो कर्म करता है, पूर्व-जन्मके शरीरसे किये गये उन सब कर्मोंका फल उसे अवश्य भोगना पड़ता है
yad yac ca kurute karma śubhaṃ vā yadi vāśubham | pūrvadeha-kṛtaṃ sarvam avaśyam upabhujyate ||
The Brahmin said: Whatever action a person performs—whether auspicious or inauspicious—he must inevitably experience its result, for all of it has been done by him in a former embodiment. The verse underscores moral causality: present experience is not random but the ripening of prior deeds, urging ethical restraint and responsibility.
ब्राह्मण उवाच
Educational Q&A
That the fruits of actions are inescapable: a person must undergo the results of deeds—good or bad—performed in a previous embodiment, affirming the Mahabharata’s ethical principle of karma and accountability.
A Brahmin speaker delivers a doctrinal instruction, explaining to the listener(s) that present experiences are shaped by prior-life actions, framing the discussion in terms of dharma and the inevitability of karmic fruition.