Shloka 2136
Svargārohaṇa-parva Adhyāya 5 — Karmaphala-Nirdeśa and Phalāśruti (कर्मफलनिर्देशः फलश्रुतिश्च)
ऋद्धिमन्तो महात्मान: शस्त्रपूता दिव॑ गता: । धृतराष्ट्रके सभी पुत्र स्वर्गभोगके पश्चात् मूलतः बलोन्मत्त यातुधान (राक्षस) थे। वे समृद्धिशाली महामनस्वी क्षत्रिय होकर युद्धमें शस्त्रोंके आघातसे पवित्र हो स्वर्गलोकमें गये थे
ṛddhimanto mahātmānaḥ śastrapūtā divaṃ gatāḥ | dhṛtarāṣṭrake sabhī putra svargabhogake paścāt mūlataḥ balonmatta yātudhāna (rākṣasa) the | ve samṛddhiśālī mahāmanasvī kṣatriya hokar yuddhameṃ śastroṃke āghātse pavitra ho svargalokameṃ gaye the |
Vaiśampāyana said: Endowed with prosperity and greatness of soul, they were purified by weapons and went to heaven. All of Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s sons—after enjoying the fruits of heaven—were in their original nature violent, intoxicated with strength, and of the yātudhāna (rākṣasa) kind. Yet, as wealthy and high-minded kṣatriyas, they were cleansed by the blows of weapons in battle and attained the heavenly world—showing how the warrior’s fate is judged by the dharma of one’s station and the purifying consequence of one’s end, even when one’s inner disposition is flawed.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The passage highlights a key epic tension: inner disposition (violent, rākṣasa-like) can be morally blameworthy, yet the cosmic accounting of a kṣatriya’s end may still grant heaven when one meets death in battle according to one’s station. It underscores that outcomes in the Mahābhārata often reflect both character and role-based dharma, producing ethically complex results.
Vaiśampāyana explains the post-war fate of Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s sons: they attained heaven, being described as ‘purified by weapons’ through their death in battle. At the same time, he notes that after their heavenly enjoyment, their underlying nature is characterized as yātudhāna (rākṣasa-like), emphasizing their innate ferocity despite their temporary heavenly reward.