Shloka 33
Gautama–Śakra Saṃvāda: Karma, Loka-bheda, and the Restoration of the Elephant
गौतमने कहा--राजन्! सोमलोकसे भी ऊपर कितने ही सनातन लोक प्रकाशित होते हैं, जो रजोगुण, तमोगुण और शोकसे रहित है। वे महात्मा सूर्यदेवके स्थान हैं। वहाँ जाकर भी मैं तुमसे अपना हाथी वसूल करूँगा ।।
dhṛtarāṣṭra uvāca—svādhyāyaśīlā guruśuśrūṣaṇe ratāḥ tapasvinaḥ suvratāḥ satyasaṃdhāḥ | ācāryāṇām apratikūlabhāṣiṇo nityotthitā gurukarmasvacodyāḥ ||
Dhṛtarāṣṭra said: “O sage! Those great souls who are devoted to self-study, delight in serving their teachers, practice austerity, keep excellent vows, and are firmly pledged to truth—who never speak against their preceptors, who are ever diligent, and who, without being prompted, engage themselves in the duties of the guru—such pure-hearted, disciplined, Veda-knowing men alone are fit for the realm of the Sun.”
धृतराष्ट उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse elevates a dharmic ideal: spiritual attainment is grounded in disciplined learning (svādhyāya), humble service to one’s teacher (guru-śuśrūṣā), austerity, truthful commitment, and respectful speech. Merit is portrayed as inseparable from ethical conduct and reverence for the sources of knowledge.
Dhṛtarāṣṭra describes the qualities of people who are worthy of a high celestial destination—specifically a solar realm—emphasizing their conduct toward teachers and their steadfastness in vows and truth.