Śānti-parva 206: Guṇa-hetu Moha, Kāma-krodha Chain, Indriya-utpatti, and Nirodha
फल कर्मात्मकं विद्यात् कर्म ज्ञेयात्मकं तथा । ज्ञेयं ज्ञानात्मकं विद्याज्ज्ञानं सदसदात्मकम्
phalaṁ karmātmakaṁ vidyāt karma jñeyātmakaṁ tathā | jñeyaṁ jñānātmakaṁ vidyāj jñānaṁ sad-asad-ātmakam ||
毗湿摩说:“当知‘果’具行动之性;行动又具所知之性(可知之境、诸对象之域);所知复具知识之性。知识自身有二重相:与有与无相连(因与果;显现与其先在之状态)。故由果溯行,由行溯知,便见伦理之责任与正见之理解,实相系而不可分。”
भीष्म उवाच
The verse presents a chain of dependence: results are rooted in actions; actions operate within the domain of the knowable (objects/fields that can be apprehended); the knowable is grounded in knowledge; and knowledge relates to both sat and asat (often read as cause and effect, or manifest and unmanifest). Ethically, it implies that transforming one’s outcomes requires refining action, and refining action requires right understanding.
In Shanti Parva, Bhishma instructs Yudhishthira on dharma and higher wisdom after the war. Here he shifts into a philosophical analysis, explaining how action, its fruits, and the structure of knowing interrelate, guiding the listener toward discernment and responsible conduct.