Shloka 59
श्रवणमहिमा इमं महायुद्धमखं महात्मनो- र्धनंजयस्याधिरथेश्व यः पठेत् । स सम्यगिष्टस्य मखस्य यत् फलं तदाप्रुयात् संश्रवणाच्च भारत,भारत! जो मनुष्य महात्मा अर्जुन और कर्णके इस महायुद्धरूपी यज्ञका पाठ अथवा श्रवण करेगा, वह विधिपूर्वक किये हुए यज्ञानुष्ठानका फल प्राप्त कर लेगा
śravaṇamahimā imaṃ mahāyuddhamakhaṃ mahātmano dhanaṃjayasya ādhiratheś ca yaḥ paṭhet | sa samyagiṣṭasya makhasya yat phalaṃ tad āpnuyāt saṃśravaṇāc ca bhārata ||
Vaiśampāyana berkata: Sesiapa yang melafazkan—atau sekadar mendengar—perang besar ini, yang dibayangkan sebagai suatu upacara korban suci (makha), mengenai Dhanañjaya (Arjuna) yang mulia dan Ādhiratha (Karna), akan memperoleh buah yang sama seperti hasil korban suci yang dilaksanakan dengan sempurna menurut tatacara. Demikianlah, wahai Bhārata, pahala ritual yang berdisiplin menjadi dapat dicapai juga melalui pendengaran yang penuh hormat.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse teaches the phalaśruti principle: reverent recitation or attentive listening to the Mahābhārata’s account of the war—understood as a sacrificial act—confers merit comparable to a properly performed ritual sacrifice, emphasizing accessible spiritual benefit through śravaṇa and pāṭha.
At the close of the episode, Vaiśampāyana states the benefit of hearing/reciting the account of the great battle between Arjuna (Dhanañjaya) and Karna (Ādhiratha), framing the war as a ‘makha’ (sacrifice) and promising the listener/reciter the fruit of a duly completed yajña.