Shloka 81
देवतापितृप्रश्नः — Nārada at Badarīāśrama: the ultimate referent of daiva and pitṛ worship
यस्य नोत्क्रामति मतिः स्वर्गमार्गानुसारिणी । तमाहु: पुण्यकर्माणमशोच्यं पुत्रबान्धवै:,स्वर्गलोकके मार्गका अनुसरण करनेवाली जिसकी बुद्धि धर्मका कभी उल्लंघन नहीं करती, उसको पुण्यात्मा कहते हैं। वह पुत्रों और बन्धु-बान्धवोंके लिये कदापि शोचनीय नहीं है
yasya notkrāmati matiḥ svargamārgānusāriṇī | tam āhuḥ puṇyakarmāṇam aśocyaṃ putrabāndhavaiḥ ||
Vyāsa said: He whose understanding does not deviate from the path that leads to heaven—steadily following the righteous way—such a person is called a doer of meritorious deeds. For his sons and kinsmen he is not one to be lamented, for his life is aligned with dharma and its auspicious end.
व्यास उवाच
Educational Q&A
Steadfast adherence of one’s moral discernment to the dharmic path (the ‘way to svarga’) defines a truly meritorious person; such a life is considered spiritually successful and therefore not a cause for lamentation among family.
In the didactic discourse of the Śānti Parva, Vyāsa characterizes the ‘puṇyakarmā’ by inner steadiness: the person’s mind does not stray from the righteous course, and this ethical integrity is presented as the reason the person is ‘aśocya’—not to be mourned—by sons and relatives.