Shloka 18
Haṃsa–Sādhya Saṃvāda: Satya, Dama, Kṣamā and the Discipline of Speech
“मनुष्य पूर्वजन्मके कर्मोंके अनुसार ही भोजन, वस्त्र तथा अपने माता-पिताके द्वारा संग्रह किया हुआ धन प्राप्त करता है। संसारमें जो कुछ मिलता है, वह पूर्वकृत कर्मोंके फलके अतिरिक्त कोई वस्तु नहीं है' ।।
manuṣyaḥ pūrvajanmake karmānusāreṇaiva bhojanaṃ vastraṃ tathā mātā-pitṛbhyāṃ saṃgṛhītaṃ dhanaṃ prāpnoti | saṃsāre yad kiñcid labhyate tat pūrvakṛta-karmaphalād anyā na vastūti ||
dhātrā vihita-bhakṣyāṇi sarva-bhūtāni medinīm | loke viparidhāvanti rakṣitāni svakarmabhiḥ ||
Wika ni Bhīṣma: Ang tao ay nakakamit ang pagkain, pananamit, at maging ang yamang naipon ng mga magulang, ayon lamang sa mga gawa sa nakaraang kapanganakan. Anumang natatamo sa daigdig na ito ay walang iba kundi bunga ng dating karma. Ang lahat ng nilalang, na iniingatan ng sarili nilang karma, ay nagmamadali sa ibabaw ng lupa; at tinatanggap nila ang ikabubuhay na itinakda ng Tagapag-ayos ayon sa bahaging nakalaan sa kanilang kapalaran.
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
All worldly acquisitions—food, clothing, and even inherited or parental wealth—are ultimately experienced as the results of one’s past actions. Beings strive and roam, but what they actually obtain is the portion allotted by Providence in accordance with their karma.
In the Śānti Parva’s instruction on dharma and right understanding after the war, Bhīṣma teaches Yudhiṣṭhira a reflective doctrine of karma: human striving occurs, yet outcomes are framed as karmic fruition and the destined allotment set by the Ordainer.