Shloka 34
Aṣṭāvakra–Kahoda Upākhyāna: Śvetaketu’s Āśrama, Sarasvatī, and the Origin of Aṣṭāvakra
पश्यस्वैतन्मया सार्ध पुण्यं पापप्रमोचनम् । तत्र वै सततं देवा मुनयश्व॒ सनातना: । दृश्यन्ते ब्राह्मणै राजन् पुण्यवद्भिर्महात्मभि:
paśyasvaitanmāyā sārdha puṇyaṃ pāpapramocanam | tatra vai satataṃ devā munayaś ca sanātanāḥ | dṛśyante brāhmaṇai rājan puṇyavadbhir mahātmabhiḥ ||
« Viens, regarde avec moi : ce lieu saint qui donne du mérite et délivre du péché. Là, ô roi, les dieux et les sages éternels se laissent voir sans cesse, contemplés par des brāhmaṇas vertueux et grands d’âme. »
श्येन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse emphasizes that certain sacred places and ways of life grounded in dharma generate puṇya and help remove pāpa; purity and virtue make one fit to perceive higher realities—gods and sages—continuously.
Śyena addresses a king and invites him to witness a holy, sin-removing place. The verse describes that in that locale, virtuous brāhmaṇas regularly behold devas and ancient munis, highlighting the sanctity and spiritual potency of the site.