Shloka 1353

Devanagari script

वर्षासु वर्षतस्तावन्निवसत्यमरप्रभ: । वर्षा-ऋतुमें आकाशसे धरतीपर जितनी बूँदें गिरती हैं, उतने वर्षोतक वह देवोपम तेजस्वी पुरुष ब्रह्मलोकमें निवास करता है

Transliteration

varṣāsu varṣatastāvan nivasaty amaraprabhaḥ |

Translation

Bhishma said: As long as the rains keep raining in the rainy season, for that very span—measured as years equal to the number of raindrops that fall from the sky to the earth in the monsoon—this radiant, godlike man dwells in the world of Brahmā (Brahmaloka).

Word by Word

वर्षासुin the rainy seasons

वर्षतःwhile (it) is raining / of the raining (cloud)

तावत्so long; for that duration

निवसतिdwells; resides

अमरप्रभःhaving the radiance of the immortals; godlike in splendor

Speaker

भीष्म उवाच

Characters & Entities

Bhīṣma

Brahmaloka

Brahmā (implied)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Cross References

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse teaches that righteous conduct yields proportionate, unimaginably vast results: merit can translate into extended residence in higher realms, expressed through a vivid natural measure (raindrops in the monsoon) to convey the magnitude of karmic reward.

What is happening in the narrative?

In Bhishma’s instruction to Yudhishthira in the Anushasana Parva, he describes the fruits of a particular meritorious act (contextually, a dharmic observance or gift), stating that the virtuous, radiant person attains Brahmaloka and remains there for an immense duration likened to years counted by monsoon raindrops.