Shloka 19
Brāhmaṇa-vandana: Criteria for Veneration, Disciplined Speech, and Protective Kingship (अनुशासनपर्व, अध्याय ८)
पश्यामि लोकानमलान् शुचीन् ब्राह्मणयायिन: । तेषु मे तात गन्तव्यमह्वाय च चिराय च
paśyāmi lokān amalān śucīn brāhmaṇayāyinaḥ | teṣu me tāta gantavyam āhvāya ca cirāya ca ||
Bhishma berkata: “Anakku, aku melihat dari sini alam-alam yang bersih dan tanpa noda, yang dicapai oleh mereka yang hidup setia pada pelayanan dan jalan para Brahmana. Kini aku akan segera dipanggil menuju alam-alam itu—dan untuk waktu yang lama.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Bhishma highlights the ethical and spiritual fruit of honoring and serving Brahmanas: such conduct leads to pure, undefiled realms. The verse frames service, purity, and right conduct as dharmic causes with lasting posthumous results.
As Bhishma continues his instruction, he speaks from the threshold of death, declaring that he can already perceive the pure worlds destined for the righteous. Addressing his listener affectionately as “tāta,” he indicates he is about to depart—summoned to those realms for a long duration.