Shloka 42
अम्बोपाख्याने तापसानां विचारः तथा होत्रवाहनस्य उपदेशः
Ambā among ascetics; Hotravāhana directs her to Paraśurāma
मयैव यानि कर्माणि पूर्वदेहे तु मूढया । कृतानि नूनं पापानि तेषामेतत् फल ध्रुवम्,“मुझ मूढ़ नारीने अपने पूर्वजन्मके शरीरसे जो पापकर्म किये थे, अवश्य ही उन्हींका यह दुःखदायक फल प्राप्त हुआ है
mayaiva yāni karmāṇi pūrvadehe tu mūḍhayā | kṛtāni nūnaṃ pāpāni teṣām etat phalaṃ dhruvam ||
Bhishma berkata: “Dosa-dosa yang aku sendiri, dalam kebodohanku, lakukan dalam jelmaan terdahulu—penderitaan yang kutanggung kini pastilah buahnya yang tidak terelakkan dan pasti.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
One’s present suffering can be understood as the inevitable fruit (phala) of one’s own past actions (karma); acknowledging personal responsibility is central to ethical reflection in the epic.
Bhīṣma, speaking in the Udyoga Parva context, voices a reflective confession: the pain now experienced is not random but the certain consequence of wrongful deeds committed in a previous embodiment.