Shloka 42
स्वर्गारोहणपर्व — तृतीयोऽध्यायः
Indra and Dharma’s Consolation; Celestial Gaṅgā Purification
ततो दिव्यवपुर्भूत्वा धर्मराजो युधिष्िर: । निर्वेरो गतसंतापो जले तस्मिन् समाप्लुत:,तत्पश्चात् दिव्यदेह धारण करके धर्मराज युधिष्ठिर वैरभावसे रहित हो गये। मन्दाकिनीके शीतल जलमें स्नान करते ही उनका सारा संताप दूर हो गया
tato divyavapurbhūtvā dharmarājo yudhiṣṭhiraḥ | nirvero gatasantāpo jale tasmin samāplutaḥ ||
Vaiśampāyana said: “Then King Yudhiṣṭhira, the lord of dharma, assumed a divine form. Free from enmity and with all anguish dispelled, he immersed himself in that water—so that, upon bathing, the heat of sorrow and the residue of conflict fell away from him.”
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse frames liberation as an inner ethical purification: when dharma is fulfilled, the mind becomes nirvera (free of enmity) and gatasantāpa (released from burning grief). The ‘divine body’ symbolizes a transformed state where resentment and suffering no longer bind the person.
As the ascent narrative progresses, Yudhiṣṭhira undergoes a transition into a divine form and bathes in a sacred water. This immersion marks the removal of remaining sorrow and hostility, preparing him for the final heavenly resolution.