Shloka 9
Adhyāya 3: Indra’s Invitation and Yudhiṣṭhira’s Refusal to Abandon the Dog
Svargārohaṇa Test
इन्द्रने कहा--राजन! तुम्हें अमरता, मेरी समानता, पूर्ण लक्ष्मी और बहुत बड़ी सिद्धि प्राप्त हुई है, साथ ही तुम्हें स्वर्गीय सुख भी उपलब्ध हुए हैं; अतः इस कुत्तेको छोड़ो और मेरे साथ चलो। इसमें कोई कठोरता नहीं है ।। युधिछिर उवाच अनार्यमार्येण सहस्ननेत्र शक््यं कर्तु दुष्करमेतदार्य । मा मे श्रिया सड़मनं तयास्तु यस्या: कृते भक्तजनं त्यजेयम्,युधिष्ठिर बोले--सहसनेत्रधारी देवराज! किसी आर्यपुरुषके द्वारा निम्न श्रेणीका काम होना अत्यन्त कठिन है। मुझे ऐसी लक्ष्मीकी प्राप्ति कभी न हो जिसके लिये भक्तजनका त्याग करना पड़े
yudhiṣṭhira uvāca |
anāryam āryeṇa sahasranetra śakyaṃ kartuṃ duṣkaram etad ārya |
mā me śriyā saṅgamanam tayāstu yasyāḥ kṛte bhaktajanaṃ tyajeyam ||
Yudhiṣṭhira said: “O Sahasranetra (Indra), for a noble man to perform an ignoble act is exceedingly difficult—indeed, it is unworthy of the noble. May I never attain such prosperity, nor be joined with such fortune, for whose sake one would abandon a devoted companion.”
युधिछिर उवाच
Educational Q&A
True nobility (āryatva) is measured by steadfast dharma: one should not trade loyalty and compassion for heavenly reward or prosperity. Fortune that demands betrayal of a devoted companion is rejected as ethically tainted.
At the threshold of heaven, Indra urges Yudhiṣṭhira to leave behind the dog that has followed him. Yudhiṣṭhira replies that abandoning a faithful companion would be an ignoble act for an ārya, and he refuses any ‘Śrī’ or reward that requires such abandonment.