Shloka 39
Śakra–Namuci-saṃvāda: Śoka-nivāraṇa and Daiva-vicāra
Indra and Namuci on grief, composure, and inevitability
एवमेष प्रसंख्यात: स्वकर्मप्रत्ययो गुण: । कथज्चिद् वर्तते सम्यक् केषांचिद् वा निवर्तते
evam eṣa prasaṅkhyātaḥ svakarma-pratyayo guṇaḥ | kathañcid vartate samyak keṣāñcid vā nivartate ||
毗湿摩说：“因此，此种德性被阐明为依各自之业而生。在某些人身上，它正当而积极地运作；在另一些人身上，它则退隐而止息——尤其当真实的知见生起之处。”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Bhishma teaches that the guṇas (dispositional qualities) manifest according to one’s own karma; they actively operate in those lacking true knowledge, but in the wise they subside—indicating mastery over impulses and a movement toward inner freedom.
In the Shanti Parva’s instruction to Yudhishthira, Bhishma continues a philosophical explanation of conduct and inner qualities, summarizing how karmic tendencies produce guṇas and how spiritual insight leads to their cessation or non-binding operation.