Shloka 93
मातङ्ग–शक्रसंवादः
Mataṅga–Śakra Dialogue on Tapas, Status, and Moral Qualities
भ्रातृभि: सहितश्चक्रे यथावदनुपूर्वश: । ये सभी महात्मा महर्षि जब भीष्मजीको देखनेके लिये वहाँ पधारे
bhrātṛbhiḥ sahitaś cakre yathāvad anupūrvaśaḥ | ye sabhī mahātmā maharṣi jab bhīṣmajī ko dekhane ke liye vahāṁ padhāre, tab bhāiyoṁ-sahit rājā yudhiṣṭhir ne unakī kramaśaḥ vidhivat pūjā kī | ṛṣiṣṭatāṁ viṣṇupadīṁ purāṇāṁ supuṇyatoyāṁ manasāpi loke | sarvātmanā jāhnavīṁ ye prapannās te brahmaṇaḥ sadanaṁ samprayātāḥ ||
Vaiśampāyana dit : Accompagné de ses frères, le roi Yudhiṣṭhira accomplit dûment, dans l’ordre convenable, les honneurs et le culte prescrits pour ces sages magnanimes venus là afin de voir Bhīṣma. Quant à la rivière Jāhnavī—louée par les voyants, née des pieds du Seigneur Viṣṇu, antique et pleine d’eaux souverainement purifiantes—ceux qui, ne fût-ce qu’en leur esprit, prennent refuge en elle de tout leur être, atteignent la demeure de Brahmā après avoir quitté le corps.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
Two linked dharmic ideals are emphasized: (1) proper, orderly honoring of worthy guests—especially sages—by a righteous king; and (2) the purifying, salvific power attributed to Gaṅgā (Jāhnavī), where even mental refuge taken wholeheartedly is said to yield exalted post-mortem attainment (Brahmaloka).
As sages arrive to see Bhīṣma, Yudhiṣṭhira, together with his brothers, receives and worships them according to ritual sequence. The passage then praises Gaṅgā as Viṣṇu-born and supremely holy, stating that those who take refuge in her attain Brahmā’s abode after death.