Shloka 21
Taḍāga-Phala and Vṛkṣāropaṇa
Merit of Ponds and Tree-Planting
सो<पि लोकानवाप्रोति दैवतैरभिपूजितान् । गोलोके स मुदा युक्तो वसति प्रेत्य भारत
so 'pi lokān avāpnoti daivatair abhipūjitān | goloke sa mudā yukto vasati pretya bhārata ||
Bhīṣma nói: “Người ấy cũng đạt đến những cõi được chư thiên tôn kính và thờ phụng. Sau khi lìa đời, hỡi Bharata, người ấy an trú tại Goloka, hòa hợp trong niềm hoan hỷ.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse teaches that righteous or meritorious conduct (as described in the surrounding passage) yields exalted post-mortem results: one attains divine-honored realms and, after death, lives in a state of joy in Goloka—emphasizing the ethical principle that dharma bears fruit beyond this life.
Bhishma, instructing Yudhiṣṭhira in Anuśāsana Parva, concludes a promise of spiritual reward: the person under discussion ‘also’ reaches revered heavenly worlds and, upon death, resides joyfully in Goloka, a celestial realm.