Mahabharata — Anushasana Parva, Shloka 1246
मानसतीर्थ-शौचप्रशंसा | Praise of the ‘Mental Tīrtha’ and the Marks of Purity
मनो5भिरामा मधुरा रमयन्ति मदोत्कटा: । उस विमानमें अप्सराएँ भरी रहती हैं
mano'bhirāmā madhurā ramayanti madotkaṭāḥ | tasmin vimāne apsarāḥ pūrṇāḥ santi, gandharvagītānāṃ madhuradhvaninā sa vimānaḥ pratidhvanati | tasmin vimāne divyābharaṇavibhūṣitāḥ śubhalakṣaṇasampannāḥ mano'bhirāmāḥ madamattāḥ madhurabhāṣiṇyaś ca ramaṇyo naraṃ taṃ ramayanti |
Bhishma décrit un char aérien céleste : il est rempli d’apsaras, et résonne sans cesse de la douce musique des chants des gandharvas. À l’intérieur, des femmes parées d’ornements divins—heureuses en tous leurs signes, captivantes pour l’esprit, enivrées de joie et au parler suave—réjouissent et divertissent cet homme. Le passage souligne l’attrait de la récompense céleste comme conséquence du mérite, tout en suggérant que le plaisir n’est qu’un fruit, non la fin ultime du dharma.
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse presents heavenly enjoyment as a result of accumulated merit: dharmic action yields pleasing fruits, depicted as celestial music, beauty, and delight. At the same time, it implies an ethical hierarchy—pleasure is a consequence of dharma, not its substitute.
Bhishma is describing a celestial vimana associated with a meritorious man: it is filled with apsarases, echoes with gandharva music, and contains divinely adorned, auspicious, sweet-speaking women who entertain him.