Shloka 36
स्वर्गारोहणपर्व — तृतीयोऽध्यायः
Indra and Dharma’s Consolation; Celestial Gaṅgā Purification
नच ते भ्रातरः पार्थ नरकार्हा विशाम्पते । मायैषा देवराजेन महेन्द्रेण प्रयोजिता
na ca te bhrātaraḥ pārtha narakārhā viśāmpate | māyaiṣā devarājena mahendreṇa prayojitā ||
Vaiśaṃpāyana dijo: «Oh Pārtha, señor de los pueblos, tus hermanos no son dignos de morar en el infierno. Lo que viste de ellos padeciendo tormento en el infierno no fue sino una ilusión urdida y mostrada por Indra, rey de los dioses».
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores that apparent suffering in the moral cosmos may sometimes be a divinely arranged test or revelation rather than a final judgment. It reassures that the Pāṇḍavas’ essential righteousness is recognized, and that perception can be clouded by māyā; therefore one should not hastily conclude about another’s ultimate fate.
After the climactic journey toward heaven, the protagonist witnesses his brothers seemingly experiencing hellish torment. Vaiśaṃpāyana explains that this vision was not their true destiny but an illusion orchestrated by Indra, meant to disclose, test, or complete the narrative’s moral resolution before the final heavenly outcome.