Shloka 37
Vidyā–Avidyā and the Twenty-Fifth Principle
Sāṃkhya–Yoga Clarification
क्रियमाणं यदा कर्म नाशं गच्छति मानुषम् । तेषां नान्यदृते लोके तपस: कर्म विद्यते
kriyamāṇaṃ yadā karma nāśaṃ gacchati mānuṣam | teṣāṃ nānyadṛte loke tapasaḥ karma vidyate ||
パラーシャラは言った。「人の行いは、たとえ行っている最中であっても、ついには滅び去り、永く残る果を結ばぬことがある。そのとき際立つ結論は一つである。かかる人々にとって、この世において真に久しく存し、身心を清める行いは、苦行（タパス）をおいて他にない。世俗の企ては脆く、しばしば挫ける。ゆえに内なる規律のみが、自らを高める確かな道として残るのだ。」
पराशर उवाच
Educational Q&A
Worldly actions are unstable and can become fruitless; therefore, disciplined austerity (tapas)—self-restraint, inner purification, and sustained spiritual effort—is presented as the most dependable ‘good action’ for those whose ordinary karmas do not endure or do not lead to higher realization.
In Śānti Parva’s instructional discourse, the sage Parāśara is teaching a reflective, renunciatory ethic: he contrasts perishable worldly activity with the lasting value of tapas, guiding the listener toward inner discipline as the secure path when external achievements fail.