Shloka 3
Adhyāya 3: Indra’s Invitation and Yudhiṣṭhira’s Refusal to Abandon the Dog
Svargārohaṇa Test
भ्रातर: पतिता मे>त्र गच्छेयुस्ते मया सह । न विना क्षातृभि: स्वर्गमिच्छे गन्तुं सुरेश्वर
bhrātaraḥ patitā me ’tra gaccheyus te mayā saha | na vinā kṣātr̥bhiḥ svargam icche gantuṁ sureśvara, deveśvara ||
قال يودهيشثيرا: «هنا سقط إخوتي على الطريق. فدبِّر أن يذهبوا هم أيضًا معي؛ فإني لا أرغب في دخول السماء دون إخوتي».
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights dharma as loyalty and moral wholeness: Yudhiṣṭhira will not accept personal salvation or reward if it requires abandoning those bound to him by duty and love. Merit is not treated as a private possession but as inseparable from compassion and responsibility.
During the great departure (mahāprasthāna), Yudhiṣṭhira sees his brothers fallen on the way. Addressing Indra as the lord of the gods, he asks that they be allowed to proceed with him, declaring he does not wish to go to heaven alone.