Shloka 36
Svargārohaṇa-parva Adhyāya 2 — Yudhiṣṭhira’s Inquiry for His Kin and the Vision of a Punitive Realm
एवं बहुविधा वाच: कृपणा वेदनावताम् । तस्मिन् देशे स शुभ्राव समन्ताद् वदतां नृप,नरेश्वर! इस प्रकार वहाँ कष्ट पानेवाले दुखी प्राणियोंके भाँति-भाँतिके दीन वचन उस प्रदेशमें उन्हें चारों ओरसे सुनायी देने लगे
evaṁ bahuvidhā vācaḥ kṛpaṇā vedanāvatām | tasmin deśe sa śubhrāva samantād vadatāṁ nṛpa ||
Vaiśaṃpāyana said: “Thus, in that region, O king, he heard on every side many kinds of pitiable cries—utterances of suffering beings, laden with pain.”
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse foregrounds the ethical reality of suffering as a consequence within the moral order (dharma/karma): the world beyond is not merely glorious but also filled with the voices of the afflicted, inviting compassion and sober reflection on actions and their results.
In Svargārohaṇa, as the journey progresses, the listener is told that the protagonist hears, from all directions in that region, many kinds of miserable cries—pain-filled utterances of distressed beings—signaling entry into a realm marked by torment and lamentation.