Shloka 2
Karma-Phala Rahasya and the Ethics of Dāna (कर्मफल-रहस्यं दानधर्मश्च)
भीष्म उवाच हन्त ते कथयिष्यामि यन्मां पृच्छसि भारत । रहस्यं यदृषीणां तु तच्छृणुष्व युधिष्ठिर । या गति: प्राप्यते येन प्रेत्यभावे चिरेप्सिता
bhīṣma uvāca hanta te kathayiṣyāmi yan māṃ pṛcchasi bhārata | rahasyaṃ yad ṛṣīṇāṃ tu tac chṛṇuṣva yudhiṣṭhira | yā gatiḥ prāpyate yena pretyabhāve cirepsitā ||
ພີດສະມະກ່າວວ່າ: “ດີແລ້ວ, ໂອ ພະຣະຕະ, ຂ້າພະເຈົ້າຈະເລົ່າໃຫ້ຟັງຕາມທີ່ເຈົ້າຖາມ. ເລື່ອງນີ້ແມ່ນຄວາມລັບແມ່ນແຕ່ໃນຫມູ່ລະສີ; ແຕ່ຈົ່ງຟັງ, ໂອ ຢຸທິສຖິຣະ. ຂ້າພະເຈົ້າຈະພັນລະນາຊະຕາປາຍທາງອັນເຄີຍປາຖະໜາມາດົນ ທີ່ມະນຸດໄດ້ຮັບຫຼັງຄວາມຕາຍ, ແລະວິທີທີ່ນຳໄປສູ່ມັນ.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Bhishma frames the forthcoming instruction as an esoteric doctrine: he will explain the means (yena) by which a person attains a long-cherished posthumous destiny (cirepsitā gatiḥ) after death (pretyabhāve). The verse emphasizes the seriousness and subtlety of the topic—dharma as it relates to ultimate ends.
In the Anushasana Parva dialogue, Yudhishthira questions Bhishma about profound matters of dharma. Here Bhishma begins his response, telling Yudhishthira to listen as he reveals a teaching considered secret even among sages, concerning the after-death destiny and how it is attained.