Verse 12.3

Sanskrit text, Unicode transliteration and English translation by Ganganath Jha:

शुभाशुभफलं कर्म मनोवाग्देहसम्भवम् ।
कर्मजा गतयो नॄणामुत्तमाधममध्यमः ॥ ३ ॥

śubhāśubhaphalaṃ karma manovāgdehasambhavam |
karmajā gatayo nṝṇāmuttamādhamamadhyamaḥ || 3 ||

Actions proceeding from mind, speech and body are conducive to good and bad results; and the conditions of men, due to actions, are high, low and middling.—(3)

 

Medhātithi’s commentary (manubhāṣya):

The ‘good’ results are mentioned only by way of an example; or as laying down the functions of the mind and speech.

Actions proceed from mind, speech and body. The term ‘Karma,’ ‘action,’ here does not stand only for that movement of the body which is involved in the performance of sacrifices; it stands for all kinds of action, even those of the nature of contemplation, meditation, speaking and the like.

The term ‘phala,’ ‘result,’ is to be construed with each of the two terms of the compound (‘śubha’ and ‘aśubha’); so that what the compound means is ‘conducive to good results’ and ‘conducive to bad results.’

This should not be understood to mean that good and bad results are obtained only from the performance of such actions as are accomplished by bodily operations, in fact the same thing happens in the case of actions springing from mind and speech also; since results have been described as proceeding from all the three kinds of actions.—(3)

 

Explanatory notes by Ganganath Jha

(verses 12.1-4)

See Comparative notes for Verse 12.1.

 

Comparative notes by various authors

Hārīta (Aparārka, p. 998).—‘Whatever act, good or bad, a man does, in whatever circumstances, of that he obtains the reward under the same circumstances. In the body he suffers the consequences of his bodily acts; in speech, those of his verbal acts; and in his mind, those of his mental acts.’