Shloka 38
Gautama–Śakra Saṃvāda: Karma, Loka-bheda, and the Restoration of the Elephant
गौतम उवाच इन्द्रस्य लोका विरजा विशोका दुरन्वया: काड्क्षिता मानवानाम् | तस्याहं ते भवने भूरितेजसो राजन्निमं हस्तिनं यातयिष्ये
gautama uvāca | indrasya lokā virajā viśokā duranvayāḥ kāṅkṣitā mānavānām | tasyāhaṃ te bhavane bhūritejaso rājan imaṃ hastinaṃ yātayiṣye ||
Gautama said: “O king, Indra’s worlds are free from dust and passion, and free from sorrow. They are difficult to attain, though desired by all human beings. Therefore, going to the abode of that mighty, radiant Indra, I shall have this elephant restored.”
गौतम उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse contrasts the purity and sorrowlessness of Indra’s heavenly realms with their difficulty of attainment, implying that such states are not gained by mere wish but by merit and disciplined conduct; it also underscores the ascetic’s resolve and authority to act in accordance with dharma.
Gautama addresses a king, describing Indra’s realms as pure and sorrow-free yet hard to reach, and declares that he will go to Indra’s abode and have the elephant restored—indicating an impending journey to the divine realm to reclaim the animal.