Shloka 62
Gautama–Śakra Saṃvāda: Karma, Loka-bheda, and the Restoration of the Elephant
स गौतमं पुरस्कृत्य सह पुत्रेण हस्तिना । दिवमाचक्रमे वज्जी सद्धिः सह दुरासदम्,पुत्रस्वरूप हाथीके साथ गौतमको आगे करके वज्धारी इन्द्र श्रेष्ठ पुरुषोंके साथ दुर्गम देवलोकमें चले गये
sa gautamaṃ puraskṛtya saha putreṇa hastinā | divam ācakrame vajjī saddhiḥ saha durāsadam ||
Placing Gautama at the forefront, Indra—the wielder of the thunderbolt—set forth for heaven, accompanied by the elephant and its calf, together with the company of the virtuous. Thus they proceeded to the hard-to-reach world of the gods.
गौतम उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights that honoring the righteous (placing the sage in front) and keeping company with the virtuous are marks of dharma, and such dharmic conduct is portrayed as leading to exalted, even heavenly, outcomes.
Indra, the thunderbolt-bearer, departs for heaven, ceremonially placing the sage Gautama at the head of the procession, and goes together with an elephant and its calf, accompanied by other virtuous beings, to the difficult-to-reach celestial realm.