Shloka 69
श्रेयो-धर्मकर्मविचारः
Inquiry into Śreyas, Dharma, and Karma
भीष्म उवाच शुद्धाभिजनसम्पन्ना: पाण्डवा: संशितव्रता: । विह्वृत्य देवलोकेषु पुनर्मानुषमेष्यथ
bhīṣma uvāca | śuddhābhijanasampannāḥ pāṇḍavāḥ saṃśitavratāḥ | vihṛtya devalokeṣu punar mānuṣam eṣyatha ||
Bhishma berkata: “Wahai para Pāṇḍava, kalian dianugerahi garis keturunan yang murni dan mulia serta teguh dalam laku sumpah yang terasah. Karena itu, setelah menikmati pergaulan di alam para dewa, kalian akan kembali lagi ke keadaan manusia—mengenakan tubuh manusia sekali lagi.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Even great merit and disciplined vows can lead to heavenly enjoyment, yet that reward is not necessarily final liberation; after the fruit of merit is experienced, one may return to human embodiment. The verse highlights the ethical power of vrata and purity of conduct, while also implying the impermanence of heavenly attainments.
Bhishma, instructing Yudhishthira and the Pandavas in the Shanti Parva, praises their noble purity and steadfast discipline and foretells their posthumous trajectory: they will dwell in divine realms for a time and then return again to human life.