Shloka 51
श्रेयो-धर्मकर्मविचारः
Inquiry into Śreyas, Dharma, and Karma
संहारकाले परिदग्धकाया ब्रद्माणमायान्ति सदा प्रजा हि । चेष्टात्मनो देवगणाश्न सर्वे ये ब्रह्मलोकादपरा: सम तेडपि
saṁhārakāle paridagdhakāyā brahmāṇam āyānti sadā prajā hi | ceṣṭātmano devagaṇāś ca sarve ye brahmalokād aparāḥ samās te 'pi ||
Bhishma berkata: Pada saat pralaya, para yogi yang tubuh kasar, halus, dan kausalnya telah hangus oleh api pengetahuan, senantiasa mencapai Brahman Tertinggi. Demikian pula para dewa dan para pencari yang tekun berlatih, yang berdiam di alam-alam di bawah Brahmaloka serta dianugerahi kodrat ilahi, semuanya mencapai Brahman Yang Mahatinggi itu.
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Liberation is attained when the coverings of embodiment are consumed by knowledge and disciplined practice; at pralaya, such purified beings—whether yogins or divine beings in lower worlds—reach the Supreme Brahman. Cosmic rank (even residence in Brahmaloka or below) is secondary to inner realization.
In Bhishma’s instruction in the Shanti Parva, he describes the destiny of realized and disciplined beings at the time of cosmic dissolution: those whose embodied limitations are destroyed attain Brahman, and even divine beings and practitioners in lower realms, through sustained spiritual effort, also reach the Supreme.