Shloka 62
Gautama–Śakra Saṃvāda: Karma, Loka-bheda, and the Restoration of the Elephant
स गौतमं पुरस्कृत्य सह पुत्रेण हस्तिना । दिवमाचक्रमे वज्जी सद्धिः सह दुरासदम्,पुत्रस्वरूप हाथीके साथ गौतमको आगे करके वज्धारी इन्द्र श्रेष्ठ पुरुषोंके साथ दुर्गम देवलोकमें चले गये
sa gautamaṃ puraskṛtya saha putreṇa hastinā | divam ācakrame vajjī saddhiḥ saha durāsadam ||
Indra, der Vajra-Träger, stellte Gautama an die Spitze und brach zum Himmel auf, begleitet vom Elefanten und seinem Kalb sowie von der Schar der Tugendhaften. So zogen sie in die schwer erreichbare Welt der Götter.
गौतम उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights that honoring the righteous (placing the sage in front) and keeping company with the virtuous are marks of dharma, and such dharmic conduct is portrayed as leading to exalted, even heavenly, outcomes.
Indra, the thunderbolt-bearer, departs for heaven, ceremonially placing the sage Gautama at the head of the procession, and goes together with an elephant and its calf, accompanied by other virtuous beings, to the difficult-to-reach celestial realm.