Shloka 32
Aṣṭāvakra–Kahoda Upākhyāna: Śvetaketu’s Āśrama, Sarasvatī, and the Origin of Aṣṭāvakra
इत्येवमुक्त्वा राजानमारुरोह दिवं पुन: । उशीनरोअपि धर्मात्मा धर्मेणावृत्य रोदसी
ity evam uktvā rājānam āruroha divaṃ punaḥ | uśīnaro 'pi dharmātmā dharmeṇāvṛtya rodasī dīpyamāna-śarīraḥ svargalokaṃ jagāma ||
Après avoir ainsi parlé, Indra remonta de nouveau au ciel. Le roi Uśīnara aussi—ferme dans le dharma—par la puissance de sa droiture emplit de splendeur la terre et le firmament; puis, revêtu d’une forme éclatante, il gagna le monde céleste. Ô roi, voici l’ermitage de ce magnanime Uśīnara : il est source de mérite et délivre de tout péché. Viens avec moi contempler ce saint āśrama. Là, les brāhmaṇas vertueux et grands d’âme voient sans cesse les dieux éternels et les sages.
श्येन उवाच
Educational Q&A
Dharma is portrayed as a power that transforms the person and their destiny: steadfast righteousness generates puṇya, dispels pāpa, and leads to exalted states (symbolized by a radiant body and ascent to Svarga). Sacred places associated with such dharmic exemplars are said to purify and elevate those who visit them.
After concluding his message, Indra returns to heaven. King Uśīnara, celebrated for his dharma, also departs to Svarga in a luminous form. The speaker (Śyena) then identifies Uśīnara’s hermitage as a holy, sin-destroying place and invites the listener-king to visit it, noting that virtuous brāhmaṇas there regularly behold gods and sages.