Shloka 18
Plakṣaprasravaṇa–Kārapacana tīrtha-varṇana and Nārada’s war briefing (Śalya-parva, Adhyāya 53)
देहत्यागेन ते सर्वे यास्यन्ति ब्रह्मण: क्षयम् भूतलका कोई भी स्थान इससे बढ़कर पुण्यदायक नहीं होगा। जो मनुष्य यहाँ रहकर बड़ी भारी तपस्या करेंगे, वे सब लोग देहत्यागके पश्चात् ब्रह्मलोकमें जायँगे ।। ये पुन: पुण्यभाजो वै दानं दास्यन्ति मानवा:
dehatyāgena te sarve yāsyanti brahmaṇaḥ kṣayam | bhūtalakā na kaścid api sthānam asmād adhikaṃ puṇyadāyakaṃ bhaviṣyati | ye manuṣyā iha sthitvā mahāntam tapas cariṣyanti te sarve dehatyāgāt paraṃ brahmaloke yāsyanti || ye punaḥ puṇyabhājo vai dānaṃ dāsyanti mānavāḥ |
Rāma berkata: “Dengan meninggalkan jasad, mereka semua akan mencapai kediaman Brahman yang tidak binasa. Di bumi ini tidak akan ada tempat yang lebih menyucikan daripada ini. Mereka yang tinggal di sini dan menjalankan tapa yang besar, setelah mati akan pergi ke dunia Brahmā. Dan lagi, manusia yang layak menerima pahala kebajikan itu benar-benar akan memberi sedekah (dāna).”
राम उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse elevates a particular sacred place as uniquely merit-giving: disciplined austerity performed there and a life oriented to charity lead to a superior post-mortem destiny—attainment of Brahmaloka/imperishable spiritual state—thus linking place, practice (tapas), and ethical action (dāna) within dharma.
Rāma is describing the extraordinary sanctity of a location, declaring that no other earthly site surpasses it in conferring merit. He explains that those who stay there and perform intense austerities will, upon death, reach Brahmaloka, and he further notes that meritorious people will engage in acts of giving there.