Shloka 27
बलीन्द्रसंवादः — Kāla, Anityatā, and the Limits of Agency
Mahābhārata 12.217
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
antakāle hy upāsante tapasā dagdha-kilbiṣāḥ | sarva ete mahātmāno gacchanti paramāṁ gatim ||
Bhīṣma dijo: «En la hora final, quienes han quemado sus faltas mediante la austeridad se entregan (al Supremo). Todos estos magnánimos alcanzan el estado más alto».
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
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.
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.