Shloka 59
तीर्थवंशोपदेशः
Tīrtha-vaṃśa Upadeśa: Instruction on the Fruits of Sacred Waters
महाफलविधिदनि श्रुतस्ते भरतर्षभ । निरयं येन गच्छन्ति स्वर्ग चैव हि तत् शूणु
Mahāphalavidhidāni śrutaste Bharatarṣabha | Nirayaṁ yena gacchanti svargaṁ caiva hi tat śṛṇu, Bharataśreṣṭha ||
महाफलविधिदानं श्रुतं ते भरतर्षभ । निरयं येन गच्छन्ति स्वर्गं चैव हि तत् शृणु ॥
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Bhīṣma transitions from explaining high-merit forms of charity (dāna) to a broader karmic framework: specific actions lead to either niraya (hell) or svarga (heaven). The verse frames ethical causality—deeds have consequences beyond this life.
In the Anuśāsana Parva’s dharma-instruction, Bhīṣma continues advising Yudhiṣṭhira. Having already described the rules and fruits of giving, he now introduces the next section: an account of deeds that result in heavenly or hellish destinies.