Shloka 24
Adhyāya 160: Dikpāla-Cosmography and the Sun’s Kālacakra (दिक्पाल-विश्ववर्णनम् तथा आदित्यस्य कालचक्रम्)
अस्यातिक्रम्य शिखरं कैलासस्य युधिष्छिर । गति: परमसिद्धानां देवर्षीणां प्रकाशते,युधिष्ठिर! इस कैलासके शिखरको लाँघ जानेपर परम सिद्ध देवर्षियोंकी गति प्रकाशित होती है
asyātikramya śikharaṃ kailāsasya yudhiṣṭhira | gatiḥ paramasiddhānāṃ devarṣīṇāṃ prakāśate ||
Wahai Yudhiṣṭhira, setelah melampaui puncak Gunung Kailāsa ini, tampaklah jalan luhur yang dikenal para Siddha tertinggi dan para ṛṣi ilahi.
आर्शिषिण उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse points to a graded spiritual geography: beyond ordinary human reach lies a realm or ‘path’ (gati) accessible to perfected beings. Ethically, it implies that higher states are not seized by force but disclosed through qualification—purity, tapas, and disciplined dharma.
A Ṛṣi addresses Yudhiṣṭhira during the Vana Parva context of sacred travel and instruction, indicating that beyond the summit of Mount Kailāsa a special, luminous route associated with Siddhas and Devarṣis becomes visible—marking a boundary between human pilgrimage and superhuman spiritual domains.