Shloka 26
देवदूतका युधिष्ठिरको मायामय नरकका दर्शन कराना स तं दुर्गन्धमालक्ष्य देवदूतमुवाच ह । कियदध्वानमस्माभिर्गन्तव्यमिममीदृशम्
Vaiśampāyana uvāca: Devadūtakaḥ Yudhiṣṭhiram māyāmaya-narakasya darśanaṃ kārayām āsa. Sa taṃ durgandham ālakṣya devadūtam uvāca: “Kiyad adhvānam asmābhiḥ gantavyam imam īdṛśam? Kva ca me te bhrātaraḥ? Etad me vaktum arhasi. Devatānām ayaṃ kaḥ deśaḥ? Etad jñātum icchāmi.”
Dijo Vaiśampāyana: El mensajero divino condujo a Yudhiṣṭhira para que contemplara un infierno ilusorio. Al percibir allí el hedor, Yudhiṣṭhira preguntó al mensajero: «Hermano, ¿cuánto más debemos avanzar por un camino así? ¿Y dónde están mis hermanos? Debes decírmelo. ¿Qué región de los dioses es esta? Deseo comprenderlo».
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
Even at the threshold of heaven, Yudhiṣṭhira prioritizes truth and responsibility toward his brothers over comfort. The episode frames the afterlife vision as a moral test: dharma includes steadfast concern for others and the insistence on clear knowledge rather than accepting appearances.
A divine messenger shows Yudhiṣṭhira a māyāmaya (illusory) hell. Disturbed by the stench and the harsh path, Yudhiṣṭhira questions the messenger about how far they must go, where his brothers are, and what divine region this is—seeking orientation and justice in what he is being made to witness.