Shloka 27

Devanagari script

अन्तकाले हुपासन्ते तपसा दग्धकिल्विषा: । सर्व एते महात्मानो गच्छन्ति परमां गतिम्‌,कुछ लोग तपस्यासे अपने पापोंको दग्ध करके अन्तकालनमें ब्रह्मकी प्राप्ति करते हैं। इन सभी महात्माओंको उत्तम गतिकी प्राप्ति होती है

Transliteration

antakāle hy upāsante tapasā dagdha-kilbiṣāḥ | sarva ete mahātmāno gacchanti paramāṁ gatim ||

Translation

Bhīṣma said: “At the final hour, those whose sins have been burned away by austerity devote themselves (to the Supreme). All these great-souled ones attain the highest state.”

Word by Word

अन्तकालेat the final time (at death)

उपासन्तेthey worship / they attend upon

तपसाby austerity

दग्धकिल्विषाःwhose sins are burnt (sin-purified)

सर्वेall

एतेthese

महात्मानःgreat-souled ones

गच्छन्तिthey go / attain

परमाम्supreme

गतिम्state/goal/destination

Speaker

भीष्म उवाच

Characters & Entities

Bhishma

Brahman (implied as the supreme goal)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Cross References

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Purification through tapas (disciplined austerity) removes moral impurities, enabling focused upāsanā at life’s end; such purified seekers attain the highest spiritual goal (paramā gati), understood as Brahman-realization or liberation.

What is happening in the narrative?

In Bhīṣma’s instruction during the Śānti Parva, he describes the fate of spiritually disciplined people: those who have burned away sins through austerity and turn their contemplation toward the Supreme at the final moment reach the supreme destination.