Shloka 44
Svargārohaṇa-parva Adhyāya 2 — Yudhiṣṭhira’s Inquiry for His Kin and the Vision of a Punitive Realm
य इमे पापगन्धेडस्मिन् देशे सन्ति सुदारुणे । नाहं जानामि सर्वेषां दुष्कृतं पुण्यकर्मणाम्
ya ime pāpagandhe 'smin deśe santi sudāruṇe | nāhaṃ jānāmi sarveṣāṃ duṣkṛtaṃ puṇyakarmaṇām ||
Vaiśaṃpāyana sprach: „Was jene betrifft, die hier in dieser übelriechenden, überaus schrecklichen Gegend sind: Ich weiß nicht, welche Missetat ihnen, den Verdiensterwerbenden, zugeschrieben werden könnte. Ich vermag keine Sünde zu erkennen, die diese Gerechten begangen hätten, um an einem solchen Ort zu weilen.“
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the tension between outward merit and the hidden workings of karma: even those known for righteous deeds may appear to face suffering, prompting reflection on moral causality, divine justice, and the limits of human judgment.
In Svargārohaṇa, the narrator describes the shock at seeing virtuous figures associated with the Pāṇḍavas seemingly placed in a foul, terrifying region; the speaker expresses disbelief and ignorance about any sin that could justify such a condition.