Shloka 25
Adhyāya 222 — ब्रह्मस्थानप्राप्ति: मोक्षधर्मे समत्वव्रतम्
Attaining the Brahman-Station: The Vow of Equanimity in Mokṣadharma
यहाँपर जो शुभ और अशुभ फलकी प्राप्ति होती है, उसमें लोग कर्मको ही कारण मानते हैं; अतः मैं तुमसे कर्मके विषयका ही पूर्णतया वर्णन करता हूँ, सुनो ।।
yatra śubha-aśubha-phala-prāptir bhavati, tatra lokāḥ karmaiva kāraṇaṃ manyante; ataḥ ahaṃ te karma-viṣayaṃ samyag vakṣyāmi, śṛṇu. yathā vedyate kaścid odanaṃ vāyaso hādan, evaṃ sarvāṇi karmāṇi svabhāvasyaiva lakṣaṇam.
世人多以为，得吉得凶之果，唯由行为为因。故我当为汝尽说业之事——且听。譬如乌鸦啄食散落之熟饭时，呱呱鸣叫，使群鸦知此处有食；同样，一切行为不过是显露自身本性的征象而已。
प्रह्माद उवाच
Educational Q&A
Actions are not merely external causes producing results; they also function as indicators of one’s innate disposition (svabhāva). Observing conduct reveals character, just as a crow’s behavior reveals the presence of food.
Prahlāda addresses his listener and begins a focused explanation of karma, using a simple everyday analogy—crows calling while eating rice—to illustrate that deeds publicly disclose inner nature.