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 said: “O Bhārata, it is heard that King Bhagīratha, passing beyond the world of the gods, the world of the cows, and even the world of the ṛṣis, went onward (higher still).”
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.