Shloka 28
Svargārohaṇa-parva Adhyāya 2 — Yudhiṣṭhira’s Inquiry for His Kin and the Vision of a Punitive Realm
स संनिववृते श्रुत्वा धर्मराजस्य भाषितम् | देवदूतो<ब्रवीच्चैनमेतावद् गमनं तव,धर्मराजकी यह बात सुनकर देवदूत लौट पड़ा और बोला--“बस, यहींतक आपको आना था
sa saṃnivavṛte śrutvā dharmarājasya bhāṣitam | devadūto 'bravīc cainam etāvad gamanaṃ tava ||
Hearing the words spoken by Dharmarāja, the divine messenger turned back and said to him, “Your journey is only up to this point.” The moment underscores the moral gravity of Yudhiṣṭhira’s speech and marks a divinely set boundary—an ethical threshold beyond which he is not required (or permitted) to proceed.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
Even the most righteous person’s path is shaped by a higher moral order: dharma includes knowing the divinely appointed limit of one’s trial. The messenger’s words signal that the test has reached its intended boundary and that dharma is not mere endurance without end, but discernment within ordained limits.
After Dharmarāja speaks, the divine messenger—having listened—turns back and informs him that he need go no farther. This marks a transition point in Yudhiṣṭhira’s otherworldly journey, indicating that the stage he has reached is the furthest extent required at that moment.