Shloka 15
Adhyāya 290: Sāṃkhya-vidhi, Deha-doṣa, Guṇa-vicāra, and Mokṣa-gati
Bhīṣma–Yudhiṣṭhira Dialogue
इसके उत्तरमें यह कहा जा सकता है कि मरकर गये हुए प्राणी पूर्वजन्ममें किये हुए कर्मोको सदैव याद नहीं रख सकते। किंतु जब किसी पूर्वकृत कर्मका फल प्राप्त होता है तब वे ही लोग सदा (मन
lokayātrāśrayaś caiva śabdo vedāśrayaḥ kṛtaḥ | śāntyarthaṃ manasas tāta naitad vṛddhānuśāsanam, tāta ||
波罗舍罗曰：“对此可答：既已死去而复生之人，不能恒常忆念前生所作之业。然而当某一宿业之果现前时，他们便忆起业有四种——由心、由语、由目、由行——并自言：‘我前生必曾作如是业，故今得此果。’又有怀疑者说：吠陀之言所以被奉为凭据，不过为维持世间生计、安抚人心；然吾子，此非古来智者长老之教诲。”
पराशर उवाच
Educational Q&A
Parāśara rejects the view that Vedic injunctions are merely pragmatic tools for livelihood or psychological comfort. He affirms that the Veda is upheld by the wise as genuine authority, consistent with moral causality: actions have real consequences, not merely consolatory narratives.
In the Śānti Parva’s didactic setting, Parāśara addresses a listener (“tāta”) and counters nāstika-style skepticism. He insists that the elders’ tradition does not reduce Vedic teaching to social utility or mental pacification, but treats it as a serious guide to dharma and karmic order.