Shloka 14
Adhyāya 3: Indra’s Invitation and Yudhiṣṭhira’s Refusal to Abandon the Dog
Svargārohaṇa Test
त्यक्त्वा भ्रातृन् दयितां चापि कृष्णां प्राप्तो लोक: कर्मणा स्वेन वीर | श्वानं चैनं न त्यजसे कथं नु त्यागं कृत्स्नं चास्थितो मुहा[से5द्य
yudhiṣṭhira uvāca | tyaktvā bhrātṝn dayitāṃ cāpi kṛṣṇāṃ prāpto lokaḥ karmaṇā svena vīra | śvānaṃ cainaṃ na tyajase kathaṃ nu tyāgaṃ kṛtsnaṃ cāsthito mūḍhaḥ ||
Indra dijo: «Oh héroe, has abandonado a tus hermanos e incluso a tu amada Kṛṣṇā (Draupadī), y por el mérito de tus propias obras has alcanzado el cielo. ¿Por qué, entonces, no abandonas a este perro? ¿Cómo es que, tras abrazar la renuncia total, has caído ahora en el engaño—aferrándote a un perro?»
युधिछिर उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse frames a moral tension between formal renunciation and compassionate fidelity. It questions whether ‘complete abandonment’ can coexist with attachment to a vulnerable being, setting up the ethical test: true dharma is not mere detachment but steadfast righteousness and protection of the dependent.
At the end of the great journey (mahāprasthāna), Yudhiṣṭhira reaches the threshold of heaven with a dog that has followed him. A divine voice challenges him to enter without the dog, and Yudhiṣṭhira responds by refusing to abandon it. This verse voices the challenge: since he has already left behind brothers and Draupadī, why not leave the dog too?