Svargārohaṇa-parva Adhyāya 5 — Karmaphala-Nirdeśa and Phalāśruti (कर्मफलनिर्देशः फलश्रुतिश्च)
मुनि: पुराण: कौरव्य पाराशर्यों महाव्रत: । अगाथबुद्धि: सर्वज्ञो गतिज्ञ: सर्वकर्मणाम्
muniḥ purāṇaḥ kauravya pārāśaryo mahāvrataḥ | agāthabuddhiḥ sarvajño gatijñaḥ sarvakarmaṇām ||
Vaiśampāyana disse: “Ó descendente dos Kurus, o antigo sábio Vyāsa, filho de Parāśara—de grandes votos, de intelecto insondável, onisciente e conhecedor do destino final de todas as ações—disse-me isto: depois de experimentar os frutos de seus atos, todos aqueles heróis, por fim, fundiram-se novamente em suas formas originárias. E Bhīṣma, de esplendor poderoso e suprema luminosidade, voltou a entrar no estado dos Vasus.”
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Actions (karma) have definite outcomes (gati), and after those results are experienced, beings return to their intrinsic or original state; the verse frames this as a cosmic settling of accounts, witnessed and affirmed by the all-knowing sage Vyāsa.
Vaiśampāyana reports Vyāsa’s authoritative explanation of the heroes’ final destiny: having undergone the consequences of their deeds, they ultimately merge into their primordial identities; specifically, Bhīṣma is said to re-enter the divine class of the Vasus.