Shloka 8
Svargārohaṇa-parva Adhyāya 5 — Karmaphala-Nirdeśa and Phalāśruti (कर्मफलनिर्देशः फलश्रुतिश्च)
वैशम्पायन उवाच न शक्यं कर्मणामन्ते सर्वेण मनुजाधिप । प्रकृति कि नु सम्यक्ते पृच्छैषा सम्प्रयोजिता
vaiśampāyana uvāca | na śakyaṃ karmaṇām ante sarveṇa manujādhipa | prakṛtiṃ ki nu samyakte pṛcchaiṣā samprayojitā ||
Vaiśampāyana berkata: “Wahai tuan manusia, tidak mungkin bahawa apabila hasil perbuatan berakhir, setiap orang tanpa kecuali akan lenyap menyatu ke dalam Prakṛti (asas primordial). Jika engkau menyangka pertanyaan ini tidak wajar, tidaklah demikian: pertanyaanmu tepat sekali berkenaan mereka yang tidak mencapai Prakṛti—apakah yang terjadi kepada mereka, dan menurut prinsip apakah nasib mereka dibezakan?”
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse challenges a simplistic universal claim: the exhaustion of karmic results does not automatically lead every being to merge into Prakṛti. It implies differentiated outcomes based on deeper causes—such as knowledge, merit, and the specific trajectory of the self—so the inquiry into ‘who attains what’ remains philosophically necessary.
Vaiśampāyana addresses the king and clarifies that the question under discussion is not misplaced. He frames the issue: after karmic fruition ends, not all beings reach the same ultimate state (Prakṛti), so the king’s inquiry is relevant for understanding the destinies of those who do not attain that dissolution.