Shloka 43
श्रेयो-धर्मकर्मविचारः
Inquiry into Śreyas, Dharma, and Karma
स देवलोके विहरत्यभीक्षणं ततकश्ष्युतो मानुषतामुपैति । संहारविक्षेपशतानि चाष्टौ मर्त्येषु तिष्ठत्यमृतत्वमेति
sa devaloke viharaty abhīkṣṇaṃ tataḥ kaścyuto mānuṣatām upaiti | saṃhāra-vikṣepa-śatāni cāṣṭau martyeṣu tiṣṭhaty amṛtatvam eti ||
Bhishma dit : Il séjourne sans cesse dans le monde des dieux ; et, lorsqu’il en déchoit, il entre dans l’existence humaine. Dans le domaine mortel, il demeure à travers huit cents cycles de dissolution et de re-projection, renaissant à maintes reprises ; puis, par des actes propices, il atteint de nouveau l’état divin — jusqu’à ce que la ronde des allées et venues soit brisée par l’obtention de la connaissance suprême (ou d’une dévotion sans partage), par laquelle on parvient à la délivrance.
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Heavenly enjoyment is not final: beings rise to devaloka by merit, fall again into human birth when that merit is exhausted, and continue through vast cosmic cycles. The only true end of this repeated movement is liberation, attained through highest knowledge or unwavering devotion.
In Bhishma’s instruction in the Shanti Parva, he describes the post-mortem trajectory of a being: repeated residence in devaloka, a fall into human existence, long continuation through cycles of dissolution and re-manifestation with repeated births, and a return to divine status through auspicious deeds—until moksha ends the cycle.