Shloka 37
Śrī–Indra–Bali Saṃvāda: The Departure and Fourfold Placement of Lakṣmī
अपि हायमिहैवान्यै: प्राक् कृतैर्द:खितो भवेत् । सुखितो दुःखितो वापि दृश्यादृश्यविनिर्णय:
api hāyam ihaivānyaiḥ prāk kṛtair duḥkhito bhavet | sukhito duḥkhito vāpi dṛśyādṛśya-vinirṇayaḥ ||
ພີສະມະກ່າວວ່າ: «ຖ້າເປັນແບບນີ້—ຄືຜູ້ກະທຳບໍ່ແມ່ນຜູ້ຮັບຜົນໃນພາຍຫຼັງ—ແລ້ວໃນໂລກນີ້ເອງ ຊາຍຄົນໜຶ່ງອາດຈະທຸກທ້ອນເນື່ອງຈາກກຳຊົ່ວທີ່ຄົນອື່ນເຄີຍເຮັດ ຫຼືຈະສຸກຫຼືທຸກກໍໄດ້ດ້ວຍການກະທຳຂອງຄົນອື່ນ. ໃນກໍລະນີນັ້ນ ຄວາມແຕກຕ່າງລະຫວ່າງ ‘ທີ່ເຫັນ’ ແລະ ‘ທີ່ບໍ່ເຫັນ’ ກໍຈະພັງ: ສິ່ງທີ່ເຄີຍເຫັນໃນຂະນະກ່ອນ ຈະກາຍເປັນບໍ່ເຫັນໃນຂະນະນີ້ ແລະສິ່ງທີ່ເຄີຍບໍ່ເຫັນ ຈະປາກົດເປັນທີ່ເຫັນໃນຕອນນີ້»។
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Bhīṣma argues that if the doer of an action and the experiencer of its fruit were different, moral causality would break down: anyone could suffer or enjoy due to others’ deeds, and the coherent determination of ‘seen’ versus ‘unseen’ (manifest vs. unmanifest) would become unstable.
In the Śānti Parva’s philosophical instruction, Bhīṣma is addressing a doctrinal objection about karma—whether the agent at the time of action is the same as the one who later experiences the result—and he refutes the view by showing its unacceptable consequences for ethical accountability and epistemic distinctions.