Shloka 57
Svargārohaṇa-parva Adhyāya 5 — Karmaphala-Nirdeśa and Phalāśruti (कर्मफलनिर्देशः फलश्रुतिश्च)
इतिहासमिमं पुण्यं महार्थ वेदसम्मितम् । व्यासोक्तं श्रूयते येन कृत्वा ब्राह्मणमग्रत:
itihāsam imaṁ puṇyaṁ mahārtha-veda-sammitam | vyāsoktaṁ śrūyate yena kṛtvā brāhmaṇam agrataḥ ||
Vaiśampāyana dit : Quiconque écoute cette histoire sacrée—d’un sens profond et d’une autorité comparable au Veda—composée et proclamée par Vyāsa, après avoir placé les brāhmaṇa au premier rang (c’est-à-dire en les honorant et en l’entendant en leur présence), obtient en ce monde toutes les jouissances désirées et une renommée éminente, puis atteint finalement l’accomplissement suprême.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse teaches that reverent listening to the Mahābhārata—treated as a sacred, Veda-like source of dharma—yields both worldly well-being (desired enjoyments and good fame) and the highest spiritual attainment, especially when done with proper respect for Brahmins and ritual propriety.
At the close of the epic (Svargārohaṇa context), Vaiśampāyana delivers a phalaśruti: a concluding assurance about the merit and transformative power of hearing this Vyāsa-composed sacred history, emphasizing its authority and the proper manner of reception.