Shloka 23
Svargārohaṇa-parva Adhyāya 2 — Yudhiṣṭhira’s Inquiry for His Kin and the Vision of a Punitive Realm
ददर्शोष्णोदकै: पूर्णा नदीं चापि सुदुर्गमाम् । असिपत्रवनं चैव निशितं क्षुरसंवृतम्,आगे जाकर उन्होंने देखा, खौलते हुए पानीसे भरी हुई एक नदी बह रही है, जिसके पार जाना बहुत ही कठिन है। दूसरी ओर तीखी तलवारों या छूरोंके-से पत्तोंसे परिपूर्ण तेज धारवाला असिपत्र नामक वन है
dadarśoṣṇodakaiḥ pūrṇāṃ nadīṃ cāpi sudurgamām | asipatravanaṃ caiva niśitaṃ kṣurasaṃvṛtam ||
Vaiśampāyana said: He saw a river filled with scalding water, extremely difficult to cross; and he also saw the forest called Asipatravana, keen-edged, enclosed by razor-like blades, its leaves like swords. The sight foretold the harsh consequences awaiting those who fall into the ways of adharma, where the very landscape becomes an instrument of retribution.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores karmic consequence: harmful actions lead to painful results, portrayed through terrifying, punitive landscapes. It reinforces the ethical imperative to follow dharma so that one does not encounter such suffering in the afterlife.
The narrator describes what is seen on the journey: a river of scalding water that is hard to cross, and the razor-sharp Asipatravana forest. These are presented as formidable, fearsome regions associated with post-mortem suffering.