Shloka 16
असंतोषादिदोष-निरूपणम्
On the Faults of Discontent and the Discipline of Detachment
देवयान और पितृयान--ये दो परलोकके प्रसिद्ध मार्ग हैं। जो सकाम यज्ञोंका अनुष्ठान करनेवाले हैं वे पितृयानसे जाते हैं और मोक्षके अधिकारी देवयानमार्गसे ।।
tapasā brahmacaryeṇa svādhyāyena maharṣayaḥ | vimucya dehāṃs te yānti mṛtyor aviṣayaṃ gatāḥ || devayānaḥ pitṛyānaś ca—ete dvau paralokasya prasiddhau mārgau | ye sakāma-yajñān anuṣṭhātāraḥ te pitṛyānena yānti, mokṣādhikāriṇaḥ devayāna-mārgeṇa ||
Disse Yudhiṣṭhira: “Devayāna e Pitṛyāna são os dois caminhos célebres para o além. Os que realizam sacrifícios desejando frutos seguem por Pitṛyāna; os aptos à mokṣa seguem pelo caminho de Devayāna. Os grandes ṛṣis, pela força da austeridade, do brahmacarya e do estudo sagrado, ao abandonar o corpo alcançam uma região onde a morte não entra.”
युधिछिर उवाच
Educational Q&A
The passage distinguishes two post-mortem trajectories: ritual action pursued for desired results leads along the Pitṛyāna (a merit-based path), while those oriented to liberation—grounded in austerity, disciplined celibacy, and sacred study—attain the Devayāna and reach a state beyond the reach of death.
In the Śānti Parva’s instruction on dharma and ultimate good, Yudhiṣṭhira articulates a doctrinal contrast between result-seeking sacrificial practice and the liberative discipline of sages, describing how the latter, after leaving the body, attain a deathless realm.