Shloka 8
Dṛṣṭānta on Siddhi: Pitṛ-Procedure, Non-Delusion, and Vyākaraṇa Classifications
कश्चरेत्कष्टकारेण क कुर्यात्क फले स्थितः / कःशेते चैव कःषण्डः कस्को याति च गौरवम्
kaścaretkaṣṭakāreṇa ka kuryātka phale sthitaḥ / kaḥśete caiva kaḥṣaṇḍaḥ kasko yāti ca gauravam
బాధాకరమైన ప్రయత్నంతో కర్మను ఎవరు చేస్తారు? ఫలంపైనే నిలిచి కర్మను ఎవరు చేస్తారు? నిజంగా ఎవరు విశ్రాంతి పొందుతారు, ఎవరు అశక్తుడు/నపుంసకుడు? మరి ఎవరు గౌరవమూ మానమూ పొందుతారు?
Lord Vishnu (in dialogue instruction to Garuda, Vinata-putra)
Concept: Interrogation of agency: who acts, who is bound to results, who rests, who is ‘impotent’—pointing toward right action without फलासक्ति and deeper inquiry into the doer.
Vedantic Theme: Kartṛtva-bhoktṛtva inquiry; movement toward akartā-bhāva (sense of non-doership) and equanimity.
Application: Act with diligence but reduce fixation on outcomes; examine motivations; cultivate steadiness under praise/blame.
Primary Rasa: shanta
Secondary Rasa: vira
Related Themes: Garuda Purana: didactic question-forms used to provoke viveka (general parallel)
FAQs
This verse frames a reflective teaching: fixation on results is questioned, implying that right action should be guided by dharma rather than anxiety for fruit.
By probing effort, attachment, and honor, it points to the karmic principle that one’s inner orientation while acting shapes merit and the soul’s onward journey described elsewhere in the text.
Act with disciplined effort, reduce obsession with outcomes, avoid helplessness, and cultivate honorable conduct—these are presented as foundations for dignity and spiritual steadiness.