Shloka 34
स्वर्गारोहणपर्व — तृतीयोऽध्यायः
Indra and Dharma’s Consolation; Celestial Gaṅgā Purification
सोदर्येषु विनष्टेषु द्रौपद्या तत्र भारत । श्वरूपधारिणा तत्र पुनस्त्व॑ मे परीक्षित:
sodaryeṣu vinaṣṭeṣu draupadyā tatra bhārata | śvarūpadhāriṇā tatra punas tvāṃ me parīkṣitaḥ ||
Vaiśampāyana dit : «Ô Bhārata, lorsque tes propres frères avaient péri là, avec Draupadī, je t’ai éprouvé une seconde fois en prenant la forme d’un chien. Dans cette épreuve encore, tu demeuras inébranlable.»
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
True dharma is shown not by success or reward but by unwavering ethical conduct—especially compassion and fidelity to one’s commitments—even when one stands alone after loss.
After Draupadī and the Pāṇḍava brothers have fallen on the final journey, Yudhiṣṭhira is subjected to another moral test: the divine examiner takes the form of a dog to assess his steadfastness, and Yudhiṣṭhira passes.