Shloka 8
Varṇa-lakṣaṇa and Ātma-saṃyama (Marks of Social Conduct and Self-Restraint) | वर्णलक्षणम् एवं आत्मसंयमः
सुशीघ्रमपि धावन्तं विधानमनुधावति । शेते सह शयानेन येन येन यथा कृतम्
suśīghram api dhāvantaṃ vidhānam anudhāvati | śete saha śayānena yena yena yathā kṛtam ||
毗湿摩说道：纵使一人奔走如飞，由其所作之业所定的果报也会追随其后。他卧下，果报亦与之同卧——在一切境遇中，皆依其所作而如实相随。此教诲表明：业果不可逃避，常伴行者如影随形，并依其行为塑造其所受之境。
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
A person cannot outrun the consequences of their actions: the moral order (vidhāna) ensures that karma’s results accompany the doer in all states—waking, moving, or sleeping—manifesting according to what was done.
In Shanti Parva’s instruction, Bhishma is teaching about dharma and moral causality. He uses vivid imagery—running and sleeping—to show that karmic consequence remains inseparably attached to the agent.