Shloka 11
Brāhmaṇa-kṛtya, Āśrama-niyama, and Dāna-prasaṃsā
Duties of the Brāhmaṇa, āśrama discipline, and praise of giving
यत्र यत्रैव संयुक्तो धात्रा गर्भे पुन: पुनः । तत्र तत्रैव वसति न यत्र स्वयमिच्छति
yatra yatraiva saṁyukto dhātrā garbhe punaḥ punaḥ | tatra tatraiva vasati na yatra svayam icchati ||
ビーシュマは言った。「創造者（ダーター）が、身を帯びた存在を、ある胎内へと幾度も幾度も定めるなら、その胎内にこそ繰り返し宿らねばならぬ。自ら望むところに住むことはできない。かくして魂の行路は、ただの好みではなく、配剤する者の法により支配される。」
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse teaches that rebirth and one’s embodied circumstances are allotted by the cosmic ordainer in accordance with karmic law; personal preference alone cannot override that dispensation. Ethically, it encourages humility, acceptance, and a turn toward right action rather than mere wishing.
In the Shanti Parva’s instruction, Bhishma is advising Yudhishthira on deeper principles behind human experience. Here he emphasizes how beings are repeatedly placed into particular births (wombs) by the Creator/Ordainer, highlighting the constrained agency of the individual within saṁsāra.