Shloka 17
Śibi’s Weighing of Dharma
The Hawk and the Dove Trial) — शिबेर्धर्मतुला (श्येन-कपोतोक्तिः
क्षीणपाप: शुभाल्लोंकान प्राप्तुते नात्र संशय: । एष उज्जानको नाम पावकिर्यत्र शान्तवान् | अरुन्धतीसहायश्व वसिष्ठो भगवानृषि:
kṣīṇapāpaḥ śubhāllokān prāptute nātra saṁśayaḥ | eṣa ujjānako nāma pāvakir yatra śāntavān | arundhatīsahāyaś ca vasiṣṭho bhagavān ṛṣiḥ ||
Lomaśa said: “One whose sins have been exhausted attains the auspicious worlds—of this there is no doubt. This is the sacred place called Ujjānaka, where the tranquil sage Vasiṣṭha, the blessed ṛṣi, dwells together with Arundhatī.”
लोगश उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse emphasizes moral causality: when wrongdoing is exhausted through purification and right conduct, one becomes fit to attain auspicious realms. It also highlights the sanctifying power of sacred places associated with realized sages.
The speaker identifies a holy location named Ujjānaka and points out that the revered sage Vasiṣṭha lives there in serenity, accompanied by Arundhatī, presenting the site as spiritually potent and conducive to merit.