Shloka 16
Varṇa-lakṣaṇa and Ātma-saṃyama (Marks of Social Conduct and Self-Restraint) | वर्णलक्षणम् एवं आत्मसंयमः
कोई बालक हो, तरुण हो या बूढ़ा हो, वह जो भी शुभाशुभ कर्म करता है, दूसरे जन्ममें उसी-उसी अवस्थामें उस-उस कर्मका फल उसे प्राप्त होता है ।।
yathā dhenusahasreṣu vatso vindati mātaram | tathā pūrvakṛtaṃ karma kartāram anugacchati ||
ພີສະມະກ່າວວ່າ: ເຫມືອນລູກງົວ ແມ່ນຢູ່ທ່າມກາງງົວນັບພັນ ກໍຍັງຊອກພົບແມ່ຂອງຕົນ ແລະເຂົ້າໄປຫານາງໄດ້—ສັນນັ້ນແຫຼະ ກຳທີ່ເຄີຍເຮັດໄວ້ກ່ອນ ຍ່ອມຕາມຜູ້ກະທຳໄປບໍ່ຂາດ. ຈະເຮັດກຸສົນ ຫຼື ອະກຸສົນ ໃນວັຍເດັກ ວັຍໜຸ່ມ ຫຼື ວັຍເຖົ້າ—ໃນຊາດຕໍ່ໄປ ຜົນຂອງກຳນັ້ນຈະຕົກແກ່ຜູ້ນັ້ນເອງ ໃນສະພາບທີ່ສອດຄ່ອງ; ບໍ່ມີກຳໃດສູນຫາຍ ແລະບໍ່ມີໃຜຮັບຜົນແທນໄດ້.
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse teaches the inevitability of karmic consequence: actions—good or bad—remain linked to their agent and will mature into results that the same person must experience, even across rebirths. Karma is portrayed as precise and inescapable, like a calf unerringly finding its own mother.
In the Shanti Parva’s instruction on dharma and right conduct, Bhishma is advising Yudhishthira about moral causality. He uses a vivid pastoral analogy—calf and mother-cow—to explain that deeds do not vanish and do not transfer to others; they return to the doer at the appropriate time and condition.