Shloka 16
Adhyāya 32: Tāpasānāṃ Darśanaṃ — Ascetics Seek to Identify the Pāṇḍavas
राक्षसानां पिशाचानां केचिच्चाप्युत्तरान् कुरून् । विचित्रगतय: सर्वे यानवाप्यामरै: सह
rākṣasānāṁ piśācānāṁ kecic cāpy uttarān kurūn | vicitragatayaḥ sarve yānavāpy amaraiḥ saha ||
Vaiśampāyana said: Some among the rākṣasas and piśācas went toward the northern Kurus. All of them, moving in diverse and wondrous ways, proceeded—some even in the company of the gods—indicating the varied destinies that follow beings according to their nature and deeds.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores that beings attain different courses and destinations—some exalted, some uncanny—reflecting their inherent nature and the moral force of their actions (karma), within a cosmos that includes both divine and non-human orders.
Vaiśampāyana describes various non-human beings (rākṣasas and piśācas) departing toward the mythic northern realm of Uttara-Kuru; their movements are described as diverse and extraordinary, with some even traveling in the company of the gods.