Shloka 5
मनस्–बुद्धि–गुणविचारः (Manas–Buddhi–Guṇa Inquiry) — Meditation and Nirguṇa Realization
चतुर्णा लोकपालानां शुक्रस्याथ बृहस्पते: । मसरुतां विश्वदेवानां साध्यानामश्चिनोरपि,तात! वरुण, कुबेर, इन्द्र और यमराज--इन चारों लोकपालों, शुक्र, बृहस्पति, मरुदगण, विश्वेदेव, साध्य, अश्विनीकुमार, रुद्र, आदित्य, वसु तथा अन्य देवताओंके जो ऐसे ही लोक हैं, वे सब परमात्माके परमधामके सामने नरक ही हैं
caturṇāṃ lokapālānāṃ śukrasyātha bṛhaspateḥ | marutāṃ viśvadevāṇāṃ sādhyānām aśvinor api, tāta! varuṇa-kubera-indra-yamarāja—eteṣāṃ caturṇāṃ lokapālānāṃ, śukra-bṛhaspati-marudgaṇa-viśvedeva-sādhya-aśvinīkumāra-rudra-āditya-vasu-tathānyadevatānāṃ ca ye tathāvidhā lokāḥ, te sarve paramātmano paramadhāmasya samakṣaṃ naraka eva |
Bhīṣma said: “Dear child, the worlds belonging to the four guardians of the quarters—Varuṇa, Kubera, Indra, and Yama—as well as the worlds of Śukra and Bṛhaspati, of the Maruts, the Viśvedevas, the Sādhyas, and the Aśvins—indeed, the realms of Rudras, Ādityas, Vasus, and other deities too—however exalted they may be, are, in comparison with the Supreme Self’s highest abode, no better than hell.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Even the highest celestial realms—those of major gods and divine hosts—are ultimately inferior when set against the Supreme Self’s highest abode; therefore one should not mistake heavenly attainment for the final good, but orient one’s life toward liberation and the supreme state.
In the Śānti Parva’s instruction section, Bhīṣma addresses the listener affectionately (“tāta”) and emphasizes a hierarchy of goals: he lists renowned divine realms and declares that, compared to the Supreme’s abode, they are as nothing—using ‘hell’ as a stark metaphor to redirect aspiration from worldly or heavenly reward to the highest spiritual end.