Shloka 84
ब्राह्मणस्य पूर्वतरा वृत्तिः — The Earlier Ideal Conduct of a Brahmana
River-of-Saṃsāra Metaphor
नाहं कर्ता न कर्ता त्वं कर्ता यस्तु सदा प्रभु:
nāhaṃ kartā na kartā tvaṃ kartā yastu sadā prabhuḥ
ಭೀಷ್ಮನು ಹೇಳಿದನು—“ನಾನು ಕರ್ತನಲ್ಲ, ನೀನೂ ಕರ್ತನಲ್ಲ; ಸದಾ ಪ್ರಭುವೇ ನಿಜವಾದ ಕರ್ತ.” ಇದನ್ನು ತಿಳಿದು ಅಹಂಕಾರವನ್ನು ಬಿಟ್ಟು ವಿನಯ-ದಮವನ್ನು ಆಶ್ರಯಿಸಿ ಧರ್ಮಾನುಸಾರವಾಗಿ ಕರ್ಮ ಮಾಡಬೇಕು.
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse teaches the doctrine of non-doership: individual beings should not cling to egoic authorship of actions. True agency belongs to the ever-sovereign Lord (prabhuḥ). This supports ethical living by reducing pride, blame, and possessiveness, while encouraging duty performed with humility.
In Śānti Parva, Bhīṣma instructs Yudhiṣṭhira on dharma and right understanding after the war. Here he emphasizes a philosophical point about agency—redirecting attention from personal ‘I did’ to the higher governing Lord—within his broader counsel on righteous conduct and inner peace.