Shloka 34
Aṣṭāvakra–Kahoda Upākhyāna: Śvetaketu’s Āśrama, Sarasvatī, and the Origin of Aṣṭāvakra
पश्यस्वैतन्मया सार्ध पुण्यं पापप्रमोचनम् । तत्र वै सततं देवा मुनयश्व॒ सनातना: । दृश्यन्ते ब्राह्मणै राजन् पुण्यवद्भिर्महात्मभि:,राजासे ऐसा कहकर इन्द्र फिर देवलोकमें चले गये तथा धर्मात्मा राजा उशीनर भी अपने धर्मसे पृथ्वी और आकाशको व्याप्त कर देदीप्यमान शरीर धारण करके स्वर्गलोकमें चले गये। राजन्! यही उन महात्मा राजा उशीनरका आश्रम है जो पुण्यजनक होनेके साथ ही समस्त पापोंसे छुटकारा दिलानेवाला है। तुम मेरे साथ इस पवित्र आश्रमका दर्शन करो। महाराज! वहाँ पुण्यात्मा महात्मा ब्राह्मणोंको सदा सनातन देवता तथा मुनियोंका दर्शन होता रहता है
paśyasvaitanmāyā sārdha puṇyaṃ pāpapramocanam | tatra vai satataṃ devā munayaś ca sanātanāḥ | dṛśyante brāhmaṇai rājan puṇyavadbhir mahātmabhiḥ ||
“Come, look at this with me—this holy place that brings merit and releases one from sin. There, O King, the gods and the eternal sages are seen continually, beheld by virtuous, great-souled brāhmaṇas.”
श्येन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse emphasizes that certain sacred places and ways of life grounded in dharma generate puṇya and help remove pāpa; purity and virtue make one fit to perceive higher realities—gods and sages—continuously.
Śyena addresses a king and invites him to witness a holy, sin-removing place. The verse describes that in that locale, virtuous brāhmaṇas regularly behold devas and ancient munis, highlighting the sanctity and spiritual potency of the site.