Brāhmaṇa-kṛtya, Āśrama-niyama, and Dāna-prasaṃsā
Duties of the Brāhmaṇa, āśrama discipline, and praise of giving
यथा यथास्थय प्राप्तव्यं प्राप्नोत्येव तथा तथा । भवितव्यं यथा यच्च भवत्येव तथा तथा
yathā yathāsthayā prāptavyaṃ prāpnoty eva tathā tathā | bhavitavyaṃ yathā yac ca bhavaty eva tathā tathā ||
ภีษมะกล่าวว่า “สิ่งใดถูกกำหนดให้ได้มาอย่างไร ก็ย่อมได้มาอย่างนั้น และสิ่งใดถูกลิขิตให้เกิดขึ้น—ไม่ว่าเรื่องใด—ก็ย่อมเกิดขึ้นตรงตามนั้น”
भीष्म उवाच
The verse teaches that outcomes unfold according to what is destined: what is to be obtained is obtained, and what is to happen happens. Ethically, it encourages equanimity—reducing arrogance in success and grief in loss—while situating human effort within a larger order of inevitability.
In the Shanti Parva’s instruction section, Bhishma is advising Yudhishthira on principles that bring peace after the war. Here he emphasizes the inevitability of certain outcomes (bhavitavyam), framing the king’s reflections on responsibility, suffering, and right conduct with a teaching on fate and acceptance.