Shloka 3
अश्वशिरो-आख्यानम्
Aśvaśiras / Hayaśiras Narrative: Retrieval of the Vedas
मुक्तश्न कां गतिं गच्छेन्मोक्षश्वैव किमात्मक: । स्वर्गतश्नैव कि कुर्याद् येन न च्यवते दिव:
muktaḥ śnaḥ kāṃ gatiṃ gacchen mokṣaś caiva kim-ātmakaḥ | svargataḥ śna eva kiṃ kuryād yena na cyavate divaḥ ||
Yudhiṣṭhira asked: “What destination does a liberated person attain? What is the essential nature of mokṣa? And what should a person who has reached heaven do, so that he does not fall down from the celestial world?”
युधिछिर उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse frames three linked inquiries central to Śānti Parva’s dharma-discourse: (1) the final ‘gati’ of one who is truly liberated, (2) the defining essence of mokṣa as distinct from heavenly reward, and (3) the sustaining cause of heavenly stability—i.e., what conduct or merit prevents ‘cyavana’ (fall) from svarga. It sets up a contrast between temporary post-mortem enjoyments and the irreversible freedom of liberation.
In the instructional setting of Śānti Parva, Yudhiṣṭhira, seeking clarity on the highest good after the war, questions the teacher about ultimate liberation and about the conditions of remaining in heaven. The verse functions as a prompt for a doctrinal explanation on mokṣa versus svarga and the role of dharma/karma in each.