Shloka 2
Adhyātma-krama: Indriya–Manas–Buddhi–Ātman Hierarchy and Citta-Prasāda (आध्यात्मक्रमः)
तत्र चेन्न भवेदेवं संशय: कर्मसिद्धये । कि तु कर्म स्वभावो<यं ज्ञानं कर्मेति वा पुन:,यदि कर्ममें संशय न हो तो वह सिद्धि देनेवाला होता है। यहाँ संदेह यह होता है कि क्या यह कर्म स्वभावसिद्ध है अथवा ज्ञानजनित?
tatra cen na bhaved evaṁ saṁśayaḥ karmasiddhaye | kintu karma svabhāvo ’yaṁ jñānaṁ karmeti vā punaḥ ||
ಈ ವಿಷಯದಲ್ಲಿ ಇಂತಹ ಸಂಶಯವೇ ಇಲ್ಲದಿದ್ದರೆ, ಕರ್ಮವೇ ನಿಶ್ಚಯವಾಗಿ ಸಿದ್ಧಿಗೆ ನೇರ ಸಾಧನವಾಗುತ್ತಿತ್ತು. ಆದರೆ ಇಲ್ಲಿ ಸಂಶಯ ಇದು—ಈ ಕರ್ಮ ಸ್ವಭಾವಸಿದ್ಧವೇ, ಅಥವಾ ಜ್ಞಾನಾಧಿಷ್ಠಿತ ಕರ್ಮವೇ?
व्यास उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights a key philosophical problem: action would be a clear means to attainment if it were free from doubt, but uncertainty persists about whether action is merely driven by innate nature (svabhāva) or whether true action must be informed and transformed by knowledge (jñāna).
Vyāsa frames a reflective inquiry within the Śānti Parva’s instruction: he points out that the discussion turns on a doubt about the basis of karma—whether it is simply natural impulse or a disciplined practice rooted in understanding—thereby setting up further clarification on the relation between knowledge and action.