Shloka 7
Adhyāya 3: Indra’s Invitation and Yudhiṣṭhira’s Refusal to Abandon the Dog
Svargārohaṇa Test
युधिछिर उवाच अयं श्वा भूतभव्येश भक्तो मां नित्यमेव ह | स गच्छेत मया सार्धमानृशंस्या हि मे मति:
yudhiṣṭhira uvāca | ayaṁ śvā bhūtabhavyaiś bhakto māṁ nityam eva ha | sa gacchet mayā sārdham ānṛśaṁsyā hi me matiḥ ||
Yudhiṣṭhira said: “This dog has been devoted to me constantly, through what has been and what is to come. Let him go together with me; for my resolve is grounded in compassion and non-cruelty.”
युधिछिर उवाच
Educational Q&A
Dharma is upheld not only by ritual or status but by steadfast compassion and non-cruelty. Yudhiṣṭhira refuses to abandon a dependent being who has shown loyalty, affirming that ethical integrity must remain consistent even at the threshold of heaven.
During the great departure (mahāprasthāna), Yudhiṣṭhira continues onward with a dog that has followed him faithfully. When the question arises whether the dog may accompany him, he declares that the dog should go with him, because his own guiding principle is compassion (ānṛśaṁsya).