Shloka 173
Svargārohaṇa-parva Adhyāya 5 — Karmaphala-Nirdeśa and Phalāśruti (कर्मफलनिर्देशः फलश्रुतिश्च)
विश्वेषां देवतानां ते विविशुर्नरसत्तमा: । राजा पाण्डु अपनी दोनों पत्नियोंके साथ महेन्द्रके भवनमें चले गये। राजा विराट, द्रपद, धृष्टकेतु, निशठ, अक्रूर, साम्ब, भानु, कम्प, विदूरथ, भूरिश्रवा, शल, पृथ्वीपति भूरि, कंस, उग्रसेन वसुदेव और अपने भाई शंखके साथ नरश्रेष्ठ उत्तर-ये सभी सत्पुरुष विश्वेदेवोंके स्वरूपमें मिल गये
vaiśampāyana uvāca |
viśveṣāṁ devatānāṁ te viviśur narasattamāḥ |
rājā pāṇḍuḥ svābhyāṁ patnībhyāṁ saha mahendrasya bhavanaṁ jagāma |
rājā virāṭaḥ drupadaḥ dhṛṣṭaketuḥ niṣaṭhaḥ akrūraḥ sāmbaḥ bhānuḥ kampaḥ vidūrathaḥ bhūriśravāḥ śalaḥ pṛthvīpatiḥ bhūriḥ kaṁsaḥ ugrasenah vasudevaś ca sva-bhrātṛ-śaṅkhena saha narśreṣṭha uttaraḥ—ete sarve satpuruṣā viśvedevānāṁ svarūpeṇa saṁmilitāḥ |
Vaiśampāyana said: Those best of men entered into the company of the Viśvedevas. King Pāṇḍu, together with his two wives, went to the mansion of Mahendra (Indra). King Virāṭa, Drupada, Dhṛṣṭaketu, Niṣaṭha, Akrūra, Sāmba, Bhānu, Kampa, Vidūratha, Bhūriśravas, Śala, the king Bhūri, Kaṁsa, Ugrasena, Vasudeva, and the foremost man Uttara along with his brother Śaṅkha—all these virtuous persons were united, taking on the form and status of the Viśvedevas. The passage underscores the epic’s moral closure: those remembered as righteous are gathered into divine orders, suggesting that ethical stature and rightful conduct culminate in exalted posthumous destinies.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse presents the Mahābhārata’s ethical resolution: virtuous persons (satpuruṣas) attain exalted states after death, here depicted as merging into divine collectives (the Viśvedevas) or reaching Indra’s abode. It frames dharmic life as having enduring consequences beyond the battlefield and political world.
In the Svargārohaṇa (ascent to heaven) sequence, the narrator lists how various notable figures attain heavenly destinations. Pāṇḍu goes with his two wives to Mahendra’s mansion, while several other kings and heroes are said to unite with the Viśvedevas, becoming part of that divine order.