Shloka 5
Śvetadvīpa-varṇana and Śāstra-pravartana (Śānti Parva 322)
जो श्रद्धालु, जितेन्द्रिय, धनसम्पन्न तथा शुभकर्म-परायण होते हैं, वे उत्तवसे अधिक उत्सवको, स्वर्गसे अधिक स्वर्गको तथा सुखसे अधिक सुखको पाते हैं ।।
bhīṣma uvāca | ye śraddhālavo jitendriyā dhanasaṃpannāḥ śubhakarma-parāyaṇāś ca bhavanti, te utsavād api adhikam utsavaṃ, svargād api adhikaṃ svargaṃ, sukhād api adhikaṃ sukhaṃ prāpnuvanti || vyāla-kuñjara-durgeṣu sarpa-caura-bhayeṣu ca | hastāvāpena gacchanti nāstikāḥ kim ataḥ param ||
Bhishma said: Those who are faithful, self-controlled, prosperous, and devoted to auspicious deeds obtain celebrations greater than any festival, a heaven surpassing heaven itself, and happiness beyond ordinary happiness. But as for the unbelievers, the king has their hands bound and drives them out of the realm; they are forced to go into forests made perilous by wild beasts and maddened elephants, and filled with fear of serpents and thieves. What punishment could be greater than this?
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Bhishma contrasts the fruits of dharmic life—faith, sense-control, prosperity used for good deeds—with the social and karmic consequences of rejecting dharma: the former yields ever-greater joy and heavenly well-being, while the latter leads to disgrace, exclusion, and suffering.
In Bhishma’s instruction during the Śānti Parva, he describes how a king enforces order: unbelievers/deniers are shackled and expelled from the kingdom into dangerous wilderness, presented as a severe deterrent and a visible consequence of adharma.