Shloka 10
Arjuna meets the Lokapālas, is tested by Indra, and is led to Amarāvatī for astra-śikṣā
Indraloka-gamana
“राजन! जहाँ जाकर भगवान् सूर्य सत्यसे प्रतिष्ठित होते हैं
Vaiśampāyana uvāca: rājan! yatra gatvā bhagavān sūryaḥ satyase pratiṣṭhitaḥ bhavati, taṃ parvatarājaṃ manīṣiṇaḥ puruṣāḥ astācala iti vadanti. girirāje astācala eva ca mahājalarāśibhir bhṛte samudre ca sthitvā rājā varuṇaḥ sarvapāṇināṃ rakṣāṃ karoti.
Vaiśampāyana sprach: „O König, den Bergkönig, wohin die selige Sonne geht und im Reich der Wahrheit zur Ruhe kommt, nennen die Weisen ‘Astācala’, den Berg des Untergangs. Dort weilend, und ebenso im Ozean, der von gewaltigen Wassermassen erfüllt ist, behütet König Varuṇa alle lebenden Wesen.“
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse links cosmic geography with ethical order: the Sun is said to ‘rest’ in Satya (Truth), and Varuṇa—guardian of waters and moral order—protects all beings. It implies that the universe is sustained by truth and vigilant guardianship, mirroring the king’s duty to protect subjects through dharma.
Vaiśampāyana describes a sacred location called Astācala, identified as the mountain where the Sun is believed to set and become established in Truth. He adds that Varuṇa resides there and in the vast ocean, exercising protective sovereignty over all creatures.