Shloka 29
Arjuna meets the Lokapālas, is tested by Indra, and is led to Amarāvatī for astra-śikṣā
Indraloka-gamana
एतं ज्योतींषि सर्वाणि प्रकर्षीन् भगवानपि । कुरुते वितमस्कर्मा आदित्यो5भिप्रदक्षिणम्
etāṃ jyotīṃṣi sarvāṇi prakarṣīn bhagavān api | kurute vitamaskarmā ādityo 'bhipradakṣiṇam ||
Sogar die gesegnete Sonne — deren eigentliche Aufgabe es ist, die Finsternis zu vertreiben — zieht all diese Lichter zu sich hin und vollzieht die pradakṣiṇā, die ehrfürchtige Umrundung, um den Berg Meru.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse uses the Sun’s role—dispelling darkness and attracting other lights—as a symbol of rightful orientation toward a higher principle. Ethically, it suggests that powers and persons should align with that which removes ignorance and sustains order (dharma), just as lesser luminaries follow the Sun.
Vaiśampāyana describes a cosmic phenomenon: the Sun, characterized as the remover of darkness, draws all luminaries and performs an abhipradakṣiṇā (reverential circumambulation), implying a grand, ordered movement of celestial bodies.