Shloka 17
Svargārohaṇa-parva Adhyāya 2 — Yudhiṣṭhira’s Inquiry for His Kin and the Vision of a Punitive Realm
तमसा संवृतं घोरं केशशैवलशाद्वलम् । युक्त पापकृतां गन्धैर्मासशोणितकर्दमम्,वहाँ घोर अन्धकार छा रहा था। केश, सेवार और घास इन्हींसे वह मार्ग भरा हुआ था। वह पापियोंके ही योग्य था। वहाँ दुर्गन्ध फैल रही थी। मांस और रक्तकी कीच जमी हुई थी
tamasā saṃvṛtaṃ ghoraṃ keśaśaivalśādvalam | yuktaṃ pāpakṛtāṃ gandhair māsaśoṇitakardamam ||
Vaiśampāyana said: The path was shrouded in dreadful darkness, strewn with hair, slime-like growth, and grass. It was fit only for evildoers, reeking with foul odors, and caked with mire of flesh and blood—an image of moral ruin made visible as a landscape.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse externalizes ethical consequence: wrongdoing is portrayed as leading to a realm/path marked by darkness, stench, and impurity. The imagery reinforces the Mahābhārata’s moral logic that adharma degrades the soul’s trajectory and environment.
Vaiśampāyana describes a terrifying, foul route—covered in darkness and filth, with mud of flesh and blood—indicating a passage or region associated with sinners in the Svargārohaṇa (ascent to heaven) context.