Shloka 42
Svargārohaṇa-parva Adhyāya 2 — Yudhiṣṭhira’s Inquiry for His Kin and the Vision of a Punitive Realm
ता वाच: स तदा श्रुत्वा तद्देशसदृशीर्नुप । ततो विममृशे राजा कि त्विदं दैवकारितम्,नरेश्वर! उस देशके अनुरूप उन बातोंको सुनकर राजा युधिष्ठिर मन-ही-मन विचार करने लगे कि दैव-का यह कैसा विधान है
tā vācaḥ sa tadā śrutvā taddeśasadṛśīr nṛpa | tato vimamṛśe rājā ki tvidaṃ daivakāritam ||
Hearing those words then—words befitting that place—the king began to reflect inwardly: “What kind of ordinance of fate is this?” The verse underscores Yudhiṣṭhira’s ethical bewilderment as he confronts a realm whose conditions seem to invert his expectations of justice and moral order.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the tension between dharma (moral expectation) and daiva (the seeming decree of fate). Even a righteous king must confront situations where outcomes appear ethically puzzling, prompting reflection rather than rash judgment.
In Svargarohana, Yudhiṣṭhira hears statements suited to the strange realm he is in, and he inwardly deliberates, questioning what kind of divine/fated arrangement could produce such an experience.