Go-dāna-phala-nirdeśa
Merit and Destinations from the Gift of Cows
धर्मज्ञ पितामह! यह सब मैं यथावत् रूपसे जानना चाहता हूँ। इसके लिये मेरे मनमें बड़ी उत्कण्ठा है ।।
bhīṣma uvāca | yo vrataṃ vai yathoddiṣṭaṃ tathā sampratipadyate | akhaṇḍaṃ samyag ārabhya tasya lokāḥ sanātanāḥ ||
Bhishma berkata: “Wahai Yudhiṣṭhira, siapa yang menjalankan suatu brata (kaul) persis sebagaimana ditetapkan dalam śāstra, memulainya dengan tata cara yang benar, lalu memeliharanya tanpa putus—ia mencapai loka-loka yang kekal.”
भीष्म उवाच
A vow yields its full dharmic fruit when it is undertaken exactly as prescribed and maintained without interruption; steadfast, correct practice leads to enduring spiritual attainment (sanātana lokāḥ).
In Bhishma’s instruction to Yudhishthira within the Anushasana Parva’s dharma-discourse, he explains the consequence of properly observing vows: those who begin and keep them unbroken attain eternal realms.