Shloka 51
Svargārohaṇa-parva Adhyāya 2 — Yudhiṣṭhira’s Inquiry for His Kin and the Vision of a Punitive Realm
स तीव्रगन्धसंतप्तो देवदूतमुवाच ह । गम्यतां तत्र येषां त्वं दूतस्तेषामुपान्तिकम्
sa tīvra-gandha-santapto deva-dūtam uvāca ha | gamyatāṃ tatra yeṣāṃ tvaṃ dūtas teṣām upāntikam |
Von dem unerträglichen Gestank gequält, sprach er zum göttlichen Boten: „Kehre zurück zu denen, deren Gesandter du bist. Ich werde nicht dorthin gehen. Ich werde hier bleiben—melde dies deinen Herren. Denn indem ich in ihrer Nähe verweile, finden diese leidenden Brüder und Verwandten von mir ein wenig Trost.“
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
Compassion and solidarity can outweigh personal comfort: the hero chooses to remain with suffering kin so that his presence eases their pain, embodying dharma as empathetic responsibility rather than self-serving reward.
Overwhelmed by a dreadful stench in the infernal region, he tells the divine messenger to return to the gods and report that he will not proceed; he resolves to stay where his distressed brothers and relatives are, because they gain relief from his nearness.