Shloka 3
Paurava-vaṃśa-kathana (Account of the Paurava Lineage) | महाभारत आदि पर्व अध्याय ८९
इन्द्र रवाच यदावमंस्था: सदृश: श्रेयसश्न अल्पीयसश्षाविदितप्रभाव: । तस्माल्लोकास्त्वन्तवन्तस्तवेमे क्षीणे पुण्ये पतितास्यद्य राजन्
śakra uvāca | yad avamaṁsthāḥ sadṛśaḥ śreyasaś ca alpīyasaś ca avidita-prabhāvaḥ | tasmāl lokās tv antavantas taveme kṣīṇe puṇye patito ’sy adya rājan ||
Indra bersabda: “Wahai raja, engkau telah meremehkan orang lain—yang setara, yang lebih mulia, dan yang lebih rendah darimu—tanpa memahami daya dan martabat mereka yang sesungguhnya. Karena itu, masa tinggalmu di alam-alam kebajikan ini telah berakhir. Kebajikanmu telah terkikis oleh celaan dan penghinaan; maka hari ini, wahai raja, engkau akan jatuh dari sini.”
शक्र उवाच
Educational Q&A
Heavenly enjoyment is finite and depends on accumulated merit; contempt and disparagement of others erode that merit. Ethical restraint—especially humility and respect toward all—protects one’s spiritual and karmic standing.
Indra addresses a king who has been enjoying heavenly realms. Indra explains that the king’s scorn toward people of all ranks has depleted his merit, so his allotted time in those worlds has ended and he must now fall from heaven.