Shloka 40
Nṛga-upākhyāna: Brāhmaṇa-sva and the Consequence of Misappropriated Gift-Cattle (कृकलास-रूपे नृगोपाख्यानम्)
नासां शीतातपौ स्यातां सदैता: कर्म कुर्वते,इन्हें सर्दी, गर्मी और वर्षाका भी कष्ट नहीं होता है। ये सदा ही अपना काम किया करती हैं। इसलिये ये ब्राह्मणोंक साथ परमपदस्वरूप ब्रह्मलोकमें चली जाती हैं
nāsāṃ śītātapau syātāṃ sadaitāḥ karma kurvate |
Bhīṣma said: “Cold and heat do not afflict them; they continually perform their appointed work. Therefore, together with the Brāhmaṇas, they proceed to Brahmaloka—the supreme state—attained through steadfast duty and disciplined conduct.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Steadfast performance of one’s duty, undisturbed by physical hardships like cold and heat, is praised as a mark of disciplined righteousness and is linked with attaining a supreme posthumous state (Brahmaloka) in association with the virtuous (Brāhmaṇas).
In Bhīṣma’s instruction in the Anuśāsana Parva, he describes a group referred to as ‘these (etāḥ)’—portrayed as tireless workers unaffected by seasonal hardships—and states that, due to their constant dutiful conduct, they go to Brahmaloka along with Brāhmaṇas.