Shloka 29
Svargārohaṇa-parva Adhyāya 2 — Yudhiṣṭhira’s Inquiry for His Kin and the Vision of a Punitive Realm
निवर्तितव्यो हि मया तथास्म्युक्तो दिवौकसै: | यदि श्रान्तो$सि राजेन्द्र त्वमथागन्तुमरहसि,“महाराज! देवताओंने मुझसे कहा है कि जब युधिष्ठिर थक जायेँ तब उन्हें वापस लौटा लाना; अतः अब मुझे आपको लौटा ले चलना है। यदि आप थक गये हों तो मेरे साथ आइये”
nivartitavyo hi mayā tathāsm yukto divaukasaḥ | yadi śrānto 'si rājendra tvam athāgantum arhasi ||
Vaiśaṃpāyana said: “I have been instructed by the gods that I must bring you back when Yudhiṣṭhira becomes weary. Therefore I must now lead you back. If you are indeed tired, O best of kings, then you should come with me.”
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights niyama and dharma as obedience to a higher mandate: even in exalted, otherworldly contexts, one must act according to entrusted duty (nivartitavyaḥ), not personal preference. It also frames weariness as a criterion in a moral-spiritual test—whether the king will accept turning back when prompted.
The narrator reports that a divine messenger (speaking under the gods’ instruction) tells the addressed king that he has orders to bring him back once Yudhiṣṭhira becomes tired. Seeing (or presuming) fatigue, he urges the king to return with him.