Shloka 53
श्रेयो-धर्मकर्मविचारः
Inquiry into Śreyas, Dharma, and Karma
ये तु च्युता: सिद्धलोकात् क्रमेण तेषां गति यान्ति तथा<<नुपूर्व्या जीवा: परे तद्धलतुल्यरूपा: स्वं स्वं विधि यान्ति विपर्ययेण
ye tu cyutāḥ siddhalokāt krameṇa teṣāṃ gatiṃ yānti tathānupūrvyāḥ | jīvāḥ pare taddhalatulyarūpāḥ svaṃ svaṃ vidhiṃ yānti viparyayeṇa ||
भीष्म उवाच— ये सिद्धलोकाच्च्युताः क्रमेण अधोलोकान् यान्ति, तेषां तुल्यसाधनबलाः अन्येऽपि जीवा लोकाल्लोकं क्रमशो गत्वोर्ध्वं वर्धमानाः तेषां सिद्धानां गतिमेव प्राप्नुवन्ति। ये तु तादृशा न सन्ति, ते विपर्ययभावात् स्वां स्वां गतिं यान्ति।
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Spiritual destiny (gati) follows one’s inner discipline and disposition: those with yogic strength progress through realms in an ordered ascent and can regain the Siddhas’ path, while those lacking such steadiness move in a contrary direction toward lower or different outcomes.
In Bhishma’s instruction on dharma and liberation-oriented conduct, he explains a cosmological-ethical principle: beings may fall from a perfected realm, yet through comparable practice they can again rise stepwise; otherwise, due to contrary tendencies, they reach different destinations.