Shloka 12
मानसतीर्थ-शौचप्रशंसा | Praise of the ‘Mental Tīrtha’ and the Marks of Purity
जो बहुत-सी सुवर्णकी दक्षिणासे युक्त इन्द्रप्रिय यज्ञका अनुष्ठान करता है तथा सत्यवादी, दानशील, ब्राह्मणभक्त, अदोषदर्शी, क्षमाशील, जितेन्द्रिय और क्रोधविजयी होता है, वह उत्तम गतिको प्राप्त होता है ।।
bhīṣma uvāca | yo bahu-sī suvarṇa-dakṣiṇā-yukta indra-priya-yajñasya anuṣṭhānaṃ karoti tathā satyavādī dānaśīlaḥ brāhmaṇa-bhaktaḥ adoṣa-darśī kṣamāśīlaḥ jitendriyaḥ krodha-vijayī ca bhavati sa uttamāṃ gatiṃ prāpnoti || pāṇḍura-bhra-pratīkāśe vimāne haṃsa-lakṣaṇe | dve samāpte tataḥ padme so 'psarobhir vaset saha ||
Dijo Bhīṣma: Quien celebra un sacrificio grato a Indra, provisto de abundantes dádivas de oro, y es veraz, generoso, devoto de los brahmanes, no busca faltas, es indulgente, dueño de sí y vencedor de la ira—ese alcanza el curso supremo del destino. Sentado en un carro celeste marcado con el cisne, resplandeciente como nubes blancas, mora allí junto a las apsaras hasta que se cumplen dos períodos de tiempo llamados “Padma”.
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Ritual merit is affirmed, but it is explicitly tied to ethical virtues: truthfulness, generosity, reverence for Brahmanas, faultlessness in outlook (not seeking others’ defects), forgiveness, sense-control, and conquest of anger. The verse presents these as the integrated basis for attaining an exalted post-mortem destiny.
Bhishma describes the reward of a person who performs an Indra-pleasing sacrifice with rich gold gifts and lives by key virtues. The reward is depicted in vivid heavenly imagery: the person rides a swan-emblem celestial chariot, shining like white clouds, and dwells with apsaras for a long, named duration (‘two Padma’ periods).