Shloka 37
मातापितृपूजन-प्रधानधर्मः (Primacy of Filial Service) — Mārkaṇḍeya’s Account of the Vyādha’s Instruction
धर्मे रतिशक्ष सततं॑ स्वर्गे वासस्तथाक्षय: । तथास्त्विति ततो देवै: प्रीतैरुक्त: स पार्थिव:,“धर्ममें मेरा सदा अनुराग हो और अन्तमें मेरा स्वर्गलोकमें नित्य निवास हो।” यह सुनकर देवताओंने बड़ी प्रसन्नताके साथ राजा कुवलाश्वसे कहा--“महाराज! ऐसा ही होगा”
dharme ratiḥ śakṣa satataṁ svarge vāsas tathākṣayaḥ | tathāstv iti tato devaiḥ prītair uktaḥ sa pārthivaḥ ||
Mārkaṇḍeya said: “May I be ever devoted to dharma, and may there be for me an imperishable dwelling in heaven at the end.” Hearing this, the gods—well pleased—replied to that king: “So be it, O ruler; it shall be exactly as you have asked.”
मार्कण्डेय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse upholds steadfast attachment to dharma as the highest aspiration; such unwavering righteousness is portrayed as leading to an enduring, blessed state (akṣaya-vāsa in svarga), affirmed by divine approval.
In Mārkaṇḍeya’s narration, a king (identified here as Kuvalāśva) expresses his wish to remain continually devoted to dharma and to attain an imperishable heavenly abode; the gods, pleased with this ethical aspiration, grant the boon with the words “tathāstu.”