Shloka 43
श्रेयो-धर्मकर्मविचारः
Inquiry into Śreyas, Dharma, and Karma
स देवलोके विहरत्यभीक्षणं ततकश्ष्युतो मानुषतामुपैति । संहारविक्षेपशतानि चाष्टौ मर्त्येषु तिष्ठत्यमृतत्वमेति
sa devaloke viharaty abhīkṣṇaṃ tataḥ kaścyuto mānuṣatām upaiti | saṃhāra-vikṣepa-śatāni cāṣṭau martyeṣu tiṣṭhaty amṛtatvam eti ||
ビーシュマは語った。彼はたびたび天界に遊び住み、そこから堕ちると人の生を受ける。死すべき世においては、壊滅と再展の循環を八百たび経て、繰り返し生まれ変わる。やがて吉祥なる行いによって再び神性の境地に至る――ただし、この往還の輪は、最高の知（あるいは一心不乱の信愛）を得て断たれるまで続き、そのとき解脱に到るのである。
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Heavenly enjoyment is not final: beings rise to devaloka by merit, fall again into human birth when that merit is exhausted, and continue through vast cosmic cycles. The only true end of this repeated movement is liberation, attained through highest knowledge or unwavering devotion.
In Bhishma’s instruction in the Shanti Parva, he describes the post-mortem trajectory of a being: repeated residence in devaloka, a fall into human existence, long continuation through cycles of dissolution and re-manifestation with repeated births, and a return to divine status through auspicious deeds—until moksha ends the cycle.