Shloka 16
युधिष्ठिरो महाराज पुन: पप्रच्छ तं॑ मुनिम् । वैशम्पायनजी कहते हैं--जनमेजय! महाभाग मार्कण्डेयजीके मुखसे राजर्षि इन्द्रद्युम्नको पुनः स्वर्गकी प्राप्तिका वृत्तान्त सुनकर राजा युधिष्ठिरने उन मुनीश्वरसे फिर प्रश्न किया,श्लेष्मादिभिव्यप्ततनुर्म्रियमाणो विचेतन: । ब्राह्मणा एव सम्पूज्या: पुण्यं स्वर्गमभीप्सता जिसका शरीर कफ आदिसे भर गया हो, जो मर रहा हो और अचेत हो गया हो, उसे पुण्यमय स्वर्गलोककी प्राप्ति अभीष्ट हो तो ब्राह्मणोंकी पूजा भी करनी चाहिये
vaiśampāyana uvāca | yudhiṣṭhiro mahārāja punaḥ papraccha taṁ munim | śleṣmādibhir vyāptatanur mriyamāṇo vicetanaḥ | brāhmaṇā eva sampūjyāḥ puṇyaṁ svargam abhīpsatā |
Vaiśampāyana said: After hearing from the venerable Mārkaṇḍeya the account of how the royal sage Indradyumna regained heaven, King Yudhiṣṭhira again questioned that seer: “If a person’s body is overwhelmed by phlegm and other humors, and he is dying and has become unconscious—yet he longs for the merit-bearing world of heaven—then indeed the Brāhmaṇas should be duly honored (as an act of dharma and merit).”
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
Even at the end of life—when one is incapacitated—seeking a virtuous afterlife is connected with acts of dharma; here, the emphasized meritorious act is honoring Brāhmaṇas, presented as a potent means of accruing puṇya aimed at svarga.
After hearing from Mārkaṇḍeya the story of King Indradyumna’s renewed attainment of heaven, Yudhiṣṭhira continues the discussion by asking the sage about the proper dharmic course for a person who is dying and unconscious yet aspires to reach heaven.