Shloka 2
Adhyāya 3: Indra’s Invitation and Yudhiṣṭhira’s Refusal to Abandon the Dog
Svargārohaṇa Test
स्वभातृन् पतितान् दृष्टवा धर्मराजो युधिष्ठिर: । अब्रवीच्छोकसंतप्त: सहस्राक्षमिदं वच:,अपने भाइयोंको धराशायी हुआ देख धर्मराज युधिष्ठिर शोकसे संतप्त हो इन्द्रसे इस प्रकार बोले--
svabhrātṝn patitān dṛṣṭvā dharmarājo yudhiṣṭhiraḥ | abravīc choka-saṃtaptaḥ sahasrākṣam idaṃ vacaḥ ||
Seeing his own brothers fallen upon the ground, King Yudhiṣṭhira—steadfast in dharma yet scorched by grief—addressed Sahasrākṣa (Indra) with these words. The moment frames the ethical tension between righteous endurance and human sorrow at the end of the great journey.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
Even the most dharma-grounded person experiences profound grief; the verse highlights the ethical realism of the Mahābhārata—steadfastness in righteousness does not erase human sorrow, and the final journey becomes a testing ground where inner truth is revealed through response to loss.
During the Mahāprasthāna (the great departure), Yudhiṣṭhira sees his brothers fallen on the path. Overwhelmed with grief, he turns to Indra—who is present as a divine interlocutor—and begins to speak, setting up the ensuing dialogue and moral trial.