Shloka 5
स्वर्गारोहणपर्व — तृतीयोऽध्यायः
Indra and Dharma’s Consolation; Celestial Gaṅgā Purification
विकृतानि शरीराणि यानि तत्र समन्तत:,ववौ देवसमीपस्थ: शीतलो5तीव भारत | कुरुकुलनन्दन राजा युधिष्ठिरने वहाँ चारों ओर जो विकृत शरीर देखे थे वे सभी अदृश्य हो गये। तदनन्तर वहाँ पावन सुगन्ध लेकर बहनेवाली पवित्र सुखदायिनी वायु चलने लगी। भारत! देवताओंके समीप बहती हुई वह वायु अत्यन्त शीतल प्रतीत होती थी
vikṛtāni śarīrāṇi yāni tatra samantataḥ, vavau devasāmīpasthaḥ śītalo 'tīva bhārata |
Vaiśampāyana said: “O Bhārata, the deformed bodies that were seen there on every side vanished from sight. Then a pure, pleasant breeze began to blow, bearing a sacred fragrance and bringing comfort. Flowing near the gods, that wind felt exceedingly cool.”
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The passage signals a moral and spiritual transition: terrifying, distorted appearances associated with suffering and karmic consequence give way to a purifying, fragrant, cooling breeze near the gods—an image of divine proximity, consolation, and the easing of distress as one moves toward a higher, clarified state.
After the scene in which dreadful, deformed bodies are visible all around, they suddenly disappear. Immediately afterward, a sacred, sweet-smelling, pleasant wind begins to blow, and in the vicinity of the gods it feels intensely cool—marking a shift from fear and harshness to serenity and divine comfort.