Shloka 84
ब्राह्मणस्य पूर्वतरा वृत्तिः — The Earlier Ideal Conduct of a Brahmana
River-of-Saṃsāra Metaphor
नाहं कर्ता न कर्ता त्वं कर्ता यस्तु सदा प्रभु:
nāhaṃ kartā na kartā tvaṃ kartā yastu sadā prabhuḥ
毗湿摩说：“我非作者，你亦非作者；真正的作者唯有那恒常主宰的至上之主。”此教诲将作为之功从个人我执处移开，归于最高的统摄原则，劝人谦卑、自制，并以伦理明晰而行。
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse teaches the doctrine of non-doership: individual beings should not cling to egoic authorship of actions. True agency belongs to the ever-sovereign Lord (prabhuḥ). This supports ethical living by reducing pride, blame, and possessiveness, while encouraging duty performed with humility.
In Śānti Parva, Bhīṣma instructs Yudhiṣṭhira on dharma and right understanding after the war. Here he emphasizes a philosophical point about agency—redirecting attention from personal ‘I did’ to the higher governing Lord—within his broader counsel on righteous conduct and inner peace.