Svargārohaṇa-parva Adhyāya 5 — Karmaphala-Nirdeśa and Phalāśruti (कर्मफलनिर्देशः फलश्रुतिश्च)
य इमां संहितां पुण्यां पुत्रमध्यापयच्छुकम् । मातापितृसहस्राणि पुत्रदारशतानि च । संसारेष्वनुभूतानि यान्ति यास्यन्ति चापरे
ya imāṃ saṃhitāṃ puṇyāṃ putram adhyāpayac chukam | mātāpitṛsahasrāṇi putradāraśatāni ca | saṃsāreṣv anubhūtāni yānti yāsyanti cāpare ||
Vaiśampāyana dit : «Celui qui révéla ce saint compendium et l’enseigna à son fils Śuka—(ainsi énonce-t-il l’instruction essentielle du Mahābhārata) : Au fil de l’existence dans le monde, les hommes ont déjà connu, connaissent et connaîtront encore l’union et la séparation d’avec des milliers de mères et de pères, et des centaines d’épouses et de fils. De tels liens se nouent et se dénouent sans cesse dans le saṃsāra.»
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Worldly relationships—parents, spouses, children—are repeatedly gained and lost across the cycles of saṃsāra. Recognizing this recurring conjunction and separation encourages detachment and a clearer pursuit of dharma rather than clinging to transient bonds.
Vaiśampāyana introduces a key, distilled instruction associated with the Mahābhārata’s sacred teaching tradition: the holy compendium was revealed and taught to Śuka, and its essence is stated as a reflection on the repetitive, impermanent nature of familial ties in worldly existence.