Shloka 32
Kṛṣṇasya Dvārakā-praveśaḥ — Krishna’s Return to Dvārakā and the Raivataka Festival
वैशम्पायन उवाच सतुतं ब्राह्मणो भूत्वा तस्य दुःखेन दुःखित: । उत्तड़कमब्रवीत् वाक््यं नैतच्छक्यं त्वयेति वै,वैशम्पायनजी कहते हैं--राजन्! इन्द्र उत्तंकके दुःखसे दुःखी थे। अतः ब्राह्मणका वेष बनाकर उनसे बोले--“ब्रह्मन! यह काम तुम्हारे वशका नहीं है। नागलोक यहाँसे हजारों योजन दूर है। इस काठके डंडेसे वहाँका रास्ता बने, यह कार्य सधनेवाला नहीं जान पड़ता”
vaiśampāyana uvāca | sa tu taṃ brāhmaṇo bhūtvā tasya duḥkhena duḥkhitaḥ | uttaṅkam abravīd vākyaṃ naitac chakyaṃ tvayeti vai |
Vaiśampāyana said: Indra, pained by Uttanka’s sorrow, assumed the guise of a brāhmaṇa and spoke to him: “O brāhmaṇa, this cannot be accomplished by you. The realm of the Nāgas lies thousands of yojanas from here; to make a path to it with this mere wooden staff does not seem a feasible undertaking.” The passage frames compassionate counsel as a form of dharmic restraint—discouraging an impossible, self-harming effort while acknowledging the seeker’s grief.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
Compassionate guidance is part of dharma: when someone is driven by grief into an impracticable course, a well-wisher should restrain them with truthful counsel, steering effort toward what is actually achievable rather than letting zeal become self-destructive.
Indra, moved by Uttanka’s distress, approaches him in the disguise of a brāhmaṇa and warns that reaching the Nāga realm is extremely distant and cannot be made possible by the simple means Uttanka is attempting (a wooden staff), indicating the need for another approach or divine aid.