Shloka 33
उशनसः (शुक्रस्य) चरितम् — The Account of Uśanā (Śukra): Yoga, Grievance, and Pacification
केन वा कर्मणा शक््यमथ ज्ञानेन केन वा । तदवाप्तुं फलं विप्र तन्मे व्याख्यातुमहसि,विप्रवर! किस कर्म अथवा ज्ञानसे उस फलको प्राप्त किया जा सकता है? यह मुझे बतानेकी कृपा करें
kena vā karmaṇā śakyam atha jñānena kena vā | tad avāptuṁ phalaṁ vipra tan me vyākhyātum arhasi ||
Bhīṣma hỏi vị brāhmaṇa uyên bác: “Bằng loại hành nghiệp nào, hoặc bằng loại tri kiến nào, mới có thể thật sự đạt được quả mong cầu ấy? Xin hãy giảng giải cho ta.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights a classical Mahābhārata concern: the means must match the end. Bhīṣma asks which discipline—right action (karma) or right knowledge (jñāna)—is capable of yielding the intended ‘fruit’ (phala), inviting a systematic explanation of ethical practice versus liberating insight.
In the didactic setting of Śānti Parva, Bhīṣma, as an authoritative elder-teacher, poses a pointed question to a learned brāhmaṇa: specify the concrete path by which the promised result can be attained, whether through conduct/ritual duty or through knowledge.