Shloka 31
अरण्यवृत्ति-वैराग्योपदेशः | Forest Discipline and the Program of Non-Attachment
कुछ मनुष्य शुभाशुभ कर्म करके कार्य-कारणसे अपने साथ जुड़े हुए स्वजनोंका भरण-पोषण करते हैं ।।
yudhiṣṭhira uvāca | āyuṣo 'vasāne prahāyedam kṣīṇaprāṇaṁ kalevaram | pratigṛhṇāti tat pāpaṁ kartuḥ karmaphalaṁ hi tat ||
玉提施提罗说道：“当寿命走到尽头，有身之众生便舍离这具气力已竭的躯壳；随后他将那罪业本身承受起来——因为业之果报唯归于造业者。纵使有人以善与不善之行来供养亲属与所依之人，最终道德的报应仍必回到行为者自身。”
युधिछिर उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse teaches moral accountability: the fruit of action (karma-phala), including sin (pāpa), ultimately accrues to the doer (kartṛ), regardless of justifications such as supporting one’s family or dependents.
In the Śānti Parva’s ethical discourse, Yudhiṣṭhira reflects on how, at death, the self leaves the lifeless body and must bear the consequences of prior deeds; he emphasizes that karmic results cannot be transferred away from the agent.