Mahabharata — Anushasana Parva, Shloka 6
Dhūpa–Dīpa–Bali Phala Praśna; Nahūṣa–Agastya–Bhṛgu Saṃvāda
Incense, Lamp, and Bali Offerings; the Nahūṣa Dialogue
मानुष्यस्तत्र सर्वा: सम क्रियास्तस्य महात्मन: । प्रवृत्तास्त्रिदिवे राजन् दिव्याश्वैव सनातना:
mānuṣyas tatra sarvāḥ sama-kriyās tasya mahātmanaḥ | pravṛttās tridive rājan divyāś caiva sanātanāḥ ||
Bhīṣma said: “O King, in that heaven (Tridiva), all the human-like duties and customary acts of that great-souled Nahūṣa continued to be performed; and likewise the divine, eternal rites and functions also went on there without interruption.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Even in heavenly realms, order (niyama) and dharma are sustained through ongoing prescribed actions—both those resembling human social duties and those that are distinctly divine and timeless. The verse underscores continuity of righteous conduct rather than a heaven of mere enjoyment.
Bhīṣma describes to the king the state of Nahūṣa in heaven: in Tridiva, the great king’s human-like observances and the eternal divine functions were actively maintained, indicating a structured, dharma-governed celestial life.