Shloka 50
Svargārohaṇa-parva Adhyāya 5 — Karmaphala-Nirdeśa and Phalāśruti (कर्मफलनिर्देशः फलश्रुतिश्च)
धर्मे चार्थे च कामे च मोक्षे च भरतर्षभ । यदिहास्ति तदन्यत्र यन्नेहास्ति न कुत्रचित्
dharme cārthe ca kāme ca mokṣe ca bharatarṣabha | yad ihāsti tad anyatra yan nehāsti na kutracit ||
Vaiśampāyana berkata: “Wahai banteng di antara kaum Bharata, apa jua yang diajarkan di sini dalam Mahābhārata tentang dharma, artha (kesejahteraan duniawi), kāma (hasrat), dan mokṣa (pembebasan) itu juga terdapat di tempat lain; tetapi apa yang tidak terdapat di sini, tidak terdapat di mana-mana.”
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse asserts the Mahābhārata’s comprehensive scope: it encompasses the full range of human aims—dharma, artha, kāma, and mokṣa—and presents itself as a complete ethical and philosophical compendium; what is absent from it is considered unattainable elsewhere.
In the closing movement of the epic (Svargārohaṇa), Vaiśampāyana offers a concluding, evaluative statement about the Mahābhārata itself, summarizing its authority and breadth as a guide for conduct, worldly life, and liberation.