Shloka 49

Bhīṣma’s Yogic Departure, Royal Cremation, and Gaṅgā’s Lament (भीष्मस्य योगयुक्त्या देहत्यागः, पितृमेधः, गङ्गाविलापः)

Devanagari script

एवं ते वर्तमानस्य सम्यग्दण्डधरस्य च | प्रजापालनदक्षस्य स्वर्गलोको भविष्यति

Transliteration

evaṁ te vartamānasya samyag daṇḍadharasya ca | prajā-pālana-dakṣasya svargaloko bhaviṣyati ||

Translation

Bhishma dit : «Si tu te conduis ainsi—en tenant le châtiment et le gouvernement selon une justice véritable, et en demeurant habile à protéger et à maintenir tes sujets—alors le monde du ciel sera ton lot. Car le mérite d’un souverain ne vient pas de la puissance elle-même, mais de la discipline, de l’application équitable de la loi et du soin compétent du peuple.»

Word by Word

• एवम्: thus, in this manner
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एवम्

• ते: for you / of you
• ते: Sampradana
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: युष्मद्
• Form: —, Genitive, Singular

• वर्तमानस्य: of (you) behaving/acting (thus), being engaged
• Type: Adjective
• Root: वर्तमान (वर्त् धातु-प्रत्ययान्त)
• Form: Masculine, Genitive, Singular

• सम्यक्: properly, rightly
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: सम्यक्

• दण्डधरस्य: of the wielder of punishment (the ruler)
• Type: Noun/Adjective
• Root: दण्डधर
• Form: Masculine, Genitive, Singular

• च: and
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च

• प्रजापालनदक्षस्य: of (one) skilled in protecting the subjects
• Type: Adjective
• Root: प्रजापालनदक्ष
• Form: Masculine, Genitive, Singular

• स्वर्गलोकः: heaven-world
• स्वर्गलोकः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: स्वर्गलोक
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• भविष्यति: will be / will come to be (will be attained)
• Type: Verb
• Root: भू
• Form: Simple Future (Luṭ), 3rd, Singular

Speaker

भीष्म उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Bhishma
• svargaloka (heaven)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

A ruler earns spiritual merit by administering punishment justly (daṇḍa) and by competently protecting and sustaining the people; ethical governance itself becomes a path to higher worlds.

What is happening in the narrative?

Bhishma, instructing the king on rajadharma, concludes that if the listener continues to act in this prescribed way—fair in discipline and effective in public welfare—he will attain svargaloka.