Shloka 44
Svargārohaṇa-parva Adhyāya 2 — Yudhiṣṭhira’s Inquiry for His Kin and the Vision of a Punitive Realm
य इमे पापगन्धेडस्मिन् देशे सन्ति सुदारुणे । नाहं जानामि सर्वेषां दुष्कृतं पुण्यकर्मणाम्,“मेरे इन महामना भाइयोंने, कर्णने, द्रौपदीके पाँचों पुत्रोंने अथवा स्वयं सुमध्यमा द्रौोपदीने भी कौन-सा ऐसा पाप किया था जिससे ये लोग इस दुर्गन्धपूर्ण भयंकर स्थानमें निवास करते हैं। इन समस्त पुण्यात्मा पुरुषोंने कभी कोई पाप किया था, इसे मैं नहीं जानता
ya ime pāpagandhe 'smin deśe santi sudāruṇe | nāhaṃ jānāmi sarveṣāṃ duṣkṛtaṃ puṇyakarmaṇām ||
Vaiśaṃpāyana said: “As for these who are here in this foul-smelling, most dreadful region—I do not know what evil deed could belong to them, who are doers of merit. I cannot see what sin these righteous ones ever committed that they should dwell in such a place.”
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the tension between outward merit and the hidden workings of karma: even those known for righteous deeds may appear to face suffering, prompting reflection on moral causality, divine justice, and the limits of human judgment.
In Svargārohaṇa, the narrator describes the shock at seeing virtuous figures associated with the Pāṇḍavas seemingly placed in a foul, terrifying region; the speaker expresses disbelief and ignorance about any sin that could justify such a condition.