Shloka 101
Adhyāya 90: Babhruvāhana’s Reception and the Commencement of Yudhiṣṭhira’s Aśvamedha
प्राप्प पुण्यकृताँललोकान् मोदते दिवि सुब्रत: । “उशीनरके पुत्र उत्तम व्रतका पालन करनेवाले राजा शिबि श्रद्धापूर्वक अपने शरीरका मांस देकर भी पुण्यात्माओंके लोकोंमें अर्थात् स्वर्गमें आनन्द भोगते हैं | १०० $ ।। विभवो न नृणां पुण्यं स्वशकक््त्या स्वर्जितं सताम्
prāpya puṇyakṛtāṁl lokān modate divi subrataḥ | uśīnarake putra uttama-vratakā pālana-karanevāle rājā śibi śraddhāpūrvakaṁ sva-śarīrasya māṁsaṁ datvāpi puṇyātmānāṁ lokeṣu arthāt svarge ānandaṁ bhogate | vibhavo na nṛṇāṁ puṇyaṁ svaśaktyā svarjitaṁ satām |
Having attained the worlds of the righteous, the man of excellent vows rejoices in heaven. In the land of the Uśīnaras, King Śibi—steadfast in the highest observances—offered the flesh of his own body with reverent faith, and even so he enjoys delight among the realms of the virtuous, that is, in heaven. For prosperity itself is not a person’s merit; true merit is what the good win by their own strength of will and self-sacrifice.
श्षशुर उवाच
Educational Q&A
Moral worth is not measured by external prosperity; true puṇya is earned through steadfast vows, faith, and self-sacrifice for dharma, exemplified by King Śibi’s willingness to give even his own flesh.
The speaker cites King Śibi of the Uśīnara country as an exemplar: by faithfully upholding an extraordinary vow and offering his own flesh, he attains the realms of the righteous and rejoices in heaven, illustrating the supremacy of earned merit over mere worldly power.