Shloka 19
Aṣṭāvakra’s Visit to Kubera: Hospitality, Temptation, and the Ethics of Restraint (अष्टावक्र-वैश्रवणोपाख्यानम्)
तत्पश्चात् असित देवलने पाण्डुकुमार राजा युधिष्ठिरसे कहा--“कुन्तीनन्दन! प्रभो! इन्द्रके शापसे मेरा धर्म नष्ट हो गया था; किंतु भगवान् शंकरने ही मुझे धर्म, उत्तम यश तथा दीर्घ आयु प्रदान की” ।।
tataḥ paścāt asita-devalena pāṇḍu-kumāraḥ rājā yudhiṣṭhiraḥ uktavān— “kuntīnandana! prabho! indrasya śāpena mama dharmo naṣṭo ’bhavat; kintu bhagavān śaṅkara eva me dharmaṃ, uttamaṃ yaśaś ca dīrgham āyuś ca pradadau।” ṛṣir gṛtsamado nāma śakrasya dayitaḥ sakhā, bhagavān bṛhaspati-samadyutiḥ, ajamīḍhaṃ prāha— “…”
Daraufhin wandte sich Asita-Devala an König Yudhiṣṭhira, den Sohn Pāṇḍus: „O Sohn der Kuntī, o Herr! Durch Indras Fluch war mein Dharma zugrunde gegangen; doch es war der Herr Śaṅkara, der mir den Dharma zurückgab, mir vortrefflichen Ruhm verlieh und langes Leben schenkte.“ Dann sprach der Weise namens Gṛtsamāda—Indras geliebter Freund, strahlend wie Bṛhaspati—zu Yudhiṣṭhira aus dem Geschlecht Ajamīḍhas und setzte die Rede fort.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
Even when dharma is impaired by adverse fate (such as a curse), restoration is possible through divine grace and right alignment with the higher moral order; Śaṅkara is presented as the giver of renewed dharma, good repute, and longevity.
Asita-Devala speaks to Yudhiṣṭhira, recounting that Indra’s curse had ruined his dharma but Śiva restored it and granted blessings. The narration then transitions to the sage Gṛtsamāda—Indra’s dear friend, radiant like Bṛhaspati—who begins addressing Yudhiṣṭhira next.