Shloka 21
Phala of Vrata, Niyama, Svādhyāya, Dama, Satya, Brahmacarya, and Service (व्रत-नियम-स्वाध्याय-दम-सत्य-ब्रह्मचर्य-शुश्रूषा-फलप्रश्नः)
यान॑ समारोप्य तु मां स देवो वाहैर्युक्त सुप्रभं भानुमत् तत् । संदर्शयामास तदात्मलोकान् सर्वास्तथा पुण्यकृतां द्विजेन्द्र
yānaṁ samāropya tu māṁ sa devo vāhair yuktaṁ suprabhaṁ bhānumat tat | saṁdarśayāmāsa tadātmalokān sarvāṁs tathā puṇyakṛtāṁ dvijendra ||
ভীষ্ম বললেন—“হে দ্বিজশ্রেষ্ঠ! তখন যমদেব অশ্বযোজিত, উৎকৃষ্ট দীপ্তিতে উজ্জ্বল, সূর্যসম তেজস্বী রথে আমাকে বসিয়ে, পুণ্যকর্মকারীদের প্রাপ্ত তাঁর সকল লোক আমাকে দেখালেন।”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Meritorious action (puṇya) has definite results: it leads to specific higher realms, and the moral order administered by Yama/Dharmarāja is portrayed as structured and knowable.
Bhīṣma recounts a vision-like episode in which Yama seats him on a brilliantly shining, harnessed chariot and shows him Yama’s own realms—worlds attained by virtuous, merit-performing beings.