Shloka 12
Varṇa-lakṣaṇa and Ātma-saṃyama (Marks of Social Conduct and Self-Restraint) | वर्णलक्षणम् एवं आत्मसंयमः
अचोटद्यमानानि यथा पुष्पाणि च फलानि च । स्वं काल॑ नातिवर्तन्ते तथा कर्म पुरा कृतम्
Bhīṣma uvāca: acoṭadyamānāni yathā puṣpāṇi ca phalāni ca | svaṁ kālaṁ nātivartante tathā karma purā kṛtam ||
毗湿摩说道：“正如花与果不待催逼，自在其时而生于树上；同样，往昔所作之业也不逾越其应当结果的定时。业力的道德势能必然成熟；当其时机到来，谁也无法逃避其果报。”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Karma bears fruit inevitably in its own appointed time. Just as natural processes like flowering and fruiting occur when the season arrives, past actions mature into results when their time comes; one cannot hasten, delay, or evade that fruition.
In the Śānti Parva’s instruction on dharma and right understanding, Bhīṣma teaches Yudhiṣṭhira through analogies. Here he uses the image of flowers and fruits appearing naturally to explain the certainty and timing of karmic results.