Mahabharata · Chapter 3.32
nāvamanye na garhe ca dharmaṃ pārtha kathañcana /
īśvaraṃ kuta evāhamavamaṃsye prajāpatim //
ārtā'haṃ pralapāmīdamiti māṃ viddhi bhārata /
bhūyaśca vilapiṣyāmi sumanāstvaṃ nibodha me //
karma khalviha kartavyaṃ jātenāmitrakarśana /
akarmāṇo hi jīvanti sthāvarā netare janāḥ //
āmātṛstanyapānācca yāvacchayyopasarpaṇam /
jaṅgamāḥ karmaṇā vṛttimāpnuvanti yudhiṣṭhira //
jaṅgameṣu viśeṣeṇa manuṣyā bharatarṣabha /
icchanti karmaṇā vṛttimavāptuṃ pretya ceha ca //
utthānamabhijānanti sarvabhūtāni bhārata /
pratyakṣaṃ phalamaśnanti karmaṇāṃ lokasākṣikam //
paśyantaḥ svaṃ samutthānamupajīvanti jantaraḥ /
api dhātā vidhātā ca yathā'yamudake bakaḥ //
[akarmaṇāṃ vai bhūtānāṃ vṛttiḥ svānna hi kācana / tadevābhiprapadyeta na vihanyātkadācana // ]
svakarma kuru māhāsīḥ karmaṇā bhava daṃśitaḥ /
kṛtyaṃ hi yo'bhijānāti sahasre sosti nāsti vāṃ //
tasya cāpi bhavetkārvaṃ vivṛddhau rakṣaṇe tathā /
bhakṣyamāṇo dyanāvāṣaḥ kṣīyeta himavānapi //
utsīderanprajāḥ sarvā na kuryuḥ karma cedyadi / [tathā hyetā na vardherankarma cedaphalaṃ bhavet // ]
dṛṣṭvā'pica phalaṃ karma paśyāmaḥ kurvato janān /
nānyathā hyapi jānanti vṛttiṃ lokāḥ kathañcana //
yaśca diṣṭaparo loke yaścāpi haṭhavādakaḥ /
ubhāvapi śaṭhāvetau karmabuddhiḥ praśasyate //
yo hi diṣṭamupāsīta nirviceṣṭaḥ sukhaṃ svapan /
avasīdetsudurbuddhirāmo ghaṭa ivodake //
tathaiva haṭhabuddhiryaḥ śaktaḥ karmaṇyakarmakṛt /
āsīta na ciraṃ jīvedanātha iva durbalaḥ //
akasmādiha yaḥ kaścidarthaṃ prāpnoti pūruṣaḥ /
taṃ haṭheneti manyante sa hi yatno na kasyacit //
vaścāpi kaśritpuruṣo diṣṭaṃ nāma bhajatyuta /
daivena vidhinā pārtha taddaivamiti niścitam //
yattāvaskarmaṇā kiñcitphalamāpnoti pūruṣaḥ /
pratyakṣaṃ cakṣuṣā dṛṣṭaṃ tatpauruṣamiti śrutam //
svabhāvataḥ pravṛtto yaḥ prāpnotyarthaṃ na kāraṇāt /
tatsvabhāvātprakaṃ viddhi phalaṃ puruṣasattama //
evaṃ haṭhācca daivācca svabhāvātkarmaṇastathā /
yāni prāpnoti puruṣastatphalaṃ pūrvakarmaṇām //
dhātāpi hi svakarmaiva taistairhetubhirīśvaraḥ /
vidadhāti vibhajyeha phalaṃ pūrvakataṃ nṛṇām //
yaddhi yaḥ puruṣaḥ kiñcitkurute vai śubhāśubham /
taddhātṛvihitaṃ viddhi pūrvakarmaphalodayam //
kāraṇaṃ tasya deho'yaṃ dhātuḥ karmaṇi karmaṇi /
sa yathā prerayatyenaṃ tathā'yaṃ kurute'vaśaḥ //
teṣuteṣu hi kṛtyeṣu viniyoktā maheśvaraḥ /
sarvabhūtāni kaunteya kārayatyavaśānyapi //
manasā'rthānviniścitya paścātprāpnoti karmaṇā /
buddhipūrvaṃ svayaṃ vīra puruṣastatra kāraṇam //
saṃkhyātuṃ naiva śakyāni karmāṇi puruṣarṣabha /
agāranagarāṇāṃ hi siddhiḥ puruṣahaitukī //
tile tailaṃ gavi kṣīraṃ kāṣṭhe pāvakamantataḥ /
evaṃ dhīro vijānīyādupāyaṃ cāsya siddhaye //
tataḥ pravartate paścātkāraṇeṣvasva siddhaye /
tāṃ siddhimupajīvanti karmaṇāmiha jantavaḥ //
kuśalena kṛtaṃ karma kartrā sādhu svanuṣṭhitam /
idaṃ tvakuśaleneti viśeṣādupalabhyate //
iṣṭāpūrttaphalaṃ na syānna śiṣyo na gururbhavet /
puruṣaḥ karmasādhyeṣu svāccedayamakāraṇam //
kartṛtvādeva puruṣaḥ karmasiddhau praśasyate /
asiddhau nindyate cāpi karmanāśaḥ kathaṃ tviha //
sarvameva haṭhenaike daivenaike vadantyuta /
puṃsaḥ prayatnajaṃ keciddaivametadviśiṣyate //
na caivaitāvatā kāryaṃ manyanta iti cāpare /
asti sarvamadṛśyaṃ tu diṣṭaṃ caiva tathā haṭhaḥ //
dṛśyate hi haṭhāccaiva diṣṭāccārthasya santatiḥ /
kiñciddaivāddhaṭhātkiñcitkiñcideva svakarmataḥ //
puruṣaḥ phalamāpnoti caturthaṃ nātra kāraṇam /
kuśalāḥ pratijānanti ye vai tattvavidojanāḥ //
tathaiva dhātā bhūtānāmiṣṭāniṣṭaphalapradaḥ /
yadi na svānana bhūtānāṃ kṛpaṇo nāma kaścana //
yaṃyamarthamabhiprepsuḥ kurute karma pūruṣaḥ /
tattatsaphalameva syādyadi na syātpurā kṛtam //
tridvārāmarthasiddhiṃ tu nānupaśyanti ye narāḥ /
tathaivānarthasiddhiṃ ca yathā lokāstathaiva te //
kartavyameva karmeti manoreṣa viniścayaḥ /
ekāntena hyanīho'yaṃ vartate'smāsu samprati //
kurvato hi bhavatyeva prāyeṇeha yudhiṣṭhira /
ekāntaphalasiddhiṃ tu na vindatyalasaḥ kvacit //
asambhave tvasya hetuḥ prāyaścittaṃ tu lakṣyate /
kṛtekarmaṇi rājendra tathā'nṛṇyamavāpnute //
alakṣmīrāviśatyenaṃ śayānamalasaṃ naram /
niḥsaṃśayaṃ phalaṃ labdhvā dakṣo bhūtimupāśnute //
anarthaṃ saṃśayāvasthaṃ gṛṇantyāmuktasaśaṃyāḥ /
dhīrā narāḥ karmaratā na tu niḥsaṃśayāḥ kvacit //
ekānte nahyanartho'yaṃ vartate'smāsu sāmpratam /
sa tu niḥsaṃśayaṃ na syāttvayi karmaṇyavasthite //
athavā'siddhireva syānmahimā tu tadeva te /
vṛkodarasya bībhatsorbhātrośca yamayorapi //
anyeṣāṃ karma saphalamasmākamapi vā punaḥ /
viprakarṣeṇa buddhyeta kṛtakarmā yathā phalam //
pṛthivīṃ lāṅgaleneha kṛṣṭvā bījaṃ vapatyuta /
āste'tha karṣakastūṣṇīṃ parjanyastatra kāraṇam //
vṛṣṭiścennānugṛhṇīyādanenāstatra karṣakaḥ /
yadanyaḥ puruṣaḥ kuryāttatkṛtaṃ saphalaṃ mayā //
taccedaṃ phalamasmākamaparādho na me kvacit /
iti dhīro'nvavekṣyaiva nātmānaṃ tatragarhayet //
kurvato nārthasiddhirme bhavatīti ha bhārata /
nirvedo nātra gantavyo dvāvantau yasya karmaṇaḥ //
siddhirvā'pyathavā'siddhirapravṛttirato'nyathā /
bahūnāṃ samavāye hi bhāvānāṃ karma sidhyati //
guṇābhāve phalaṃ nyūnaṃ bhavatyaphalameva ca /
anārambhe hi na phalaṃ na guṇo dṛśyate kvacit //
deśakālāvupāyāṃśca maṅgalaṃ svastisiddhaye /
yunakti medhayā dhīro yathāyogaṃ yathābalam //
apyupāyena tatkāryamupadeṣṭā parākramaḥ /
bhūyiṣṭhaṃ karmayogeṣu sarva eva parākramaḥ //
yatradhīmānavekṣeta śreyāsaṃ bahubhirguṇaiḥ /
sāmnaivārthaṃ tato lipsetkarma cāsmai prayojayet //
vyasanaṃ nābhikāṅkṣetta vināśaṃ vā yudhiṣṭhira /
api sindhorgirervā'pi kiṃ punarmartyadharmiṇaḥ //
utthānayuktaḥ satataṃ pareṣāmantaraiṣaṇe /
ānṛṇyamāpnoti naraḥ parasyātmana eva ca //
na tvevātmā'vamantavyaḥ puruṣeṇa kadācana /
na hyātmaparibhūtas bhūtirbhavati śobhanā //
evaṃ saṃsthitikā siddhiriyaṃ lokasya bhārata /
citrā siddhigatiḥ proktā kālāvasthāvibhāgaśaḥ //
brāhmaṇaṃ me pitā pūrvaṃ vāsayāmāsa paṇḍitam /
sarvaṃ cārthamimaṃ prāha pitre me bharatarṣabha //
nītiṃ bṛhaspatiproktāṃ bhrātṛnme'grāhayanpurā /
teṣāṃ sakāśādaśrauṣamahametāṃ tadā gṛhe //
sa māṃ rājankarmavatīmāgatāmāha sāntvayan / śuśrūṣamāṇāmāsīnāṃ pituraṅke yudhiṣṭhira //
Original text: Mahābhārata (southern recension) · Edition: Śrīman Mahābhāratam, ed. T. R. Krishnacharya and T. R. Vyasacharya, Nirnaya Sagar Press, Bombay 1906–1910; e-text by SARIT (Shrinivasa Varakhedi and others) · SARIT: Search and Retrieval of Indic Texts · SARIT (e-text) via Internet Archive · CC BY-SA 3.0