Shloka 14
मृत्युकारणप्रश्नः / Inquiry into the Cause and Designation of Death
यत् करोत्यनभिसंधिपूर्वक॑ तच्च निर्णुदति तत् पुराकृतम् । न प्रियं तदुभयं न चाप्रियं तस्य तज्जनयतीह कुर्वत:
yat karoty anabhisaṃdhi-pūrvakaṃ tac ca nirṇudati tat purākṛtam | na priyaṃ tad ubhayaṃ na cāpriyaṃ tasya taj janayatīha kurvataḥ ||
毗耶娑说：人在此世所作之事，若无预谋、无私图而行，则此行能消除（或遮止）往昔所作。对如此行者而言，两种果报——可喜与不可喜——不再作为束缚之果而生起；当他以此心而行时，此业不为他生出可意或不可意之报。
व्यास उवाच
Educational Q&A
Actions performed without ulterior motive or premeditated self-interest do not generate binding pleasant or unpleasant results; such motive-free action is said to neutralize the force of prior deeds (purākṛta), pointing toward karmic purification through detached conduct.
In Śānti Parva’s instruction on dharma and the workings of karma, Vyāsa explains a principle of ethical causality: the inner intention behind action determines whether it binds the agent to future pleasure and pain, or instead becomes a means of diminishing past karmic burden.