Shloka 30
Arjuna meets the Lokapālas, is tested by Indra, and is led to Amarāvatī for astra-śikṣā
Indraloka-gamana
य॑ं प्राप्प सविता राजन् सत्येन प्रतितिष्ठति । अस्तं पर्वतराजानमेतमाहुर्मनीषिण:
yaṁ prāpya savitā rājan satyena prati tiṣṭhati | astaṁ parvatarājānam etam āhur manīṣiṇaḥ | astaṁ prāpya tataḥ sandhyām atikramya divākaraḥ | udīcīṁ bhajate kāṣṭhāṁ diśam eṣa vibhāvasuḥ |
Vaiśampāyana dit : «Ô roi, la montagne où le Soleil demeure ferme par la vérité, les sages l’appellent ‘Asta’, roi des montagnes. Parvenu au point occidental de son coucher puis ayant franchi la limite du crépuscule, ce Diwākara resplendissant se tourne vers le nord. Ensuite, soucieux du bien de tous les êtres, le Seigneur Soleil suit Méru jusqu’à l’extrémité septentrionale, puis reprend sa marche, le visage tourné vers l’est.»
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse links cosmic regularity to satya (truth): the Sun’s unwavering course is portrayed as ‘standing firm by truth,’ suggesting that truthfulness sustains order—both in the universe and in ethical life.
Vaiśaṃpāyana describes the Sun’s movement: reaching the western ‘Asta’ mountain at sunset, passing beyond evening twilight, turning toward the northern quarter, and (as the prose gloss adds) following Meru and then resuming an east-facing course—an account of the Sun’s nightly/seasonal circuit in sacred geography.