Mahabharata — Svargarohana Parva, Shloka 10
Svargārohaṇa-parva Adhyāya 5 — Karmaphala-Nirdeśa and Phalāśruti (कर्मफलनिर्देशः फलश्रुतिश्च)
मुनि: पुराण: कौरव्य पाराशर्यों महाव्रत: । अगाथबुद्धि: सर्वज्ञो गतिज्ञ: सर्वकर्मणाम्
muniḥ purāṇaḥ kauravya pārāśaryo mahāvrataḥ | agāthabuddhiḥ sarvajño gatijñaḥ sarvakarmaṇām ||
Vaiśampāyana dit : «Ô rejeton des Kuru, l’antique sage Vyāsa, fils de Parāśara—aux grands vœux, à l’intelligence insondable, omniscient et connaissant l’ultime cours de tous les actes—m’a rapporté ceci : après avoir éprouvé les fruits de leurs actions, tous ces héros finirent par se fondre de nouveau dans leur forme originelle. Et Bhīṣma, d’un éclat puissant et d’une radiance suprême, rentra dans l’état des Vasus.»
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
Actions (karma) have definite outcomes (gati), and after those results are experienced, beings return to their intrinsic or original state; the verse frames this as a cosmic settling of accounts, witnessed and affirmed by the all-knowing sage Vyāsa.
Vaiśampāyana reports Vyāsa’s authoritative explanation of the heroes’ final destiny: having undergone the consequences of their deeds, they ultimately merge into their primordial identities; specifically, Bhīṣma is said to re-enter the divine class of the Vasus.