Shloka 41
अहिंसा-प्रधान धर्मविचारः
Ahiṃsā as the Superior Dharma: Practical and Scriptural Reasoning
सर्वे देवा मर्त्यसंज्ञाविशिष्टा: सर्वे मर्त्या देवसंज्ञाविशिष्टा: । तस्मात् पुत्र मा शुचो राजसिंह पुत्र: स्वर्ग प्राप्प ते मोदते ह
sarve devā martyasaṁjñā-viśiṣṭāḥ sarve martyā devasaṁjñā-viśiṣṭāḥ | tasmāt putra mā śuco rājasimha putraḥ svargaṁ prāptaḥ te modate ha ||
Bhīṣma dit : «Tous les dieux portent, sous quelque aspect, le nom de “mortels”, et tous les mortels portent, sous quelque aspect, le nom de “divins”. C’est pourquoi, mon fils, ne t’afflige pas, ô lion parmi les rois. Ton fils a atteint le ciel ; là, vraiment, il se réjouit.»
पितामह उवाच
Educational Q&A
Bhīṣma reframes death and status: the boundary between ‘divine’ and ‘mortal’ is not absolute, so one should not be overwhelmed by grief. He urges acceptance grounded in dharma and the belief that a righteous person who dies attains heavenly joy.
In Śānti Parva, Bhīṣma instructs and consoles a grieving king. Here he tells the king not to mourn, affirming that the king’s son has reached svarga and is rejoicing there.