Shloka 5
Tapas-śreṣṭhatā: Anāśana as the Highest Austerity
Bhagīratha–Brahmā Saṃvāda
अतीत्य सुरलोकं च गवां लोक॑ च भारत । ऋषिलोकं च सोडगच्छद् भगीरथ इति श्रुतम्,भारत! सुननेमें आया है कि राजा भगीरथ देवलोक, गौओंके लोक और ऋषिलोकको भी लाँघकर ब्रह्मलोकमें जा पहुँचे
atītya suralokaṃ ca gavāṃ lokaṃ ca bhārata | ṛṣilokaṃ ca so ’ḍagacchad bhagīratha iti śrutam |
Bhīṣma sprach: „O Bhārata, man hört, dass König Bhagīratha, nachdem er die Welt der Götter, die Welt der Kühe und sogar die Welt der ṛṣis überschritten hatte, weiter voranschritt (noch höher hinauf).“
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse uses Bhagīratha as a model of exceptional puṇya: through unwavering dharma and great religious undertaking, one is said to transcend even exalted heavenly realms. It underscores that moral-spiritual achievement can surpass ordinary celestial rewards.
Bhīṣma, instructing Yudhiṣṭhira, cites a traditional report about King Bhagīratha: he is said to have gone beyond the realms of the gods, cows, and sages—indicating an extraordinary posthumous or spiritual attainment.