Shloka 14
निरय-परमस्थान-वर्णनम्
Niraya and the Supreme Station: A Metaphysical Re-reading
नित्यमेव सुखं स्वर्गे सुखं दुः:खमिहो भयम् । नरके दुःखमेवाहु: सुखं तत्परमं पदम्
nityam eva sukhaṃ svarge sukhaṃ duḥkham iha u bhayam | narake duḥkham evāhuḥ sukhaṃ tat paramam padam ||
স্বর্গে সর্বদাই কেবল সুখ। এই মর্ত্যলোকে সুখ ও দুঃখ—উভয়ই আছে। নরকে কেবল দুঃখই বলা হয়। কিন্তু প্রকৃত সুখ হলো সেই পরম পদ—পরব্রহ্ম পরমাত্মা।
भरद्वाज उवाच
Educational Q&A
Pleasure in heaven and pain in hell are still conditioned experiences; the verse points beyond them to the highest good—true, unsurpassed happiness identified with the supreme state (parama-pada), i.e., realization of Brahman/Paramātman.
In the didactic discourse of the Śānti Parva, Bharadvāja states a graded view of realms—heaven, the human world, and hell—and then elevates the discussion by asserting that the ultimate aim is not any realm but the supreme state itself.