Shloka 32
Aṣṭāvakra–Kahoda Upākhyāna: Śvetaketu’s Āśrama, Sarasvatī, and the Origin of Aṣṭāvakra
इत्येवमुक्त्वा राजानमारुरोह दिवं पुन: । उशीनरोअपि धर्मात्मा धर्मेणावृत्य रोदसी,राजासे ऐसा कहकर इन्द्र फिर देवलोकमें चले गये तथा धर्मात्मा राजा उशीनर भी अपने धर्मसे पृथ्वी और आकाशको व्याप्त कर देदीप्यमान शरीर धारण करके स्वर्गलोकमें चले गये। राजन्! यही उन महात्मा राजा उशीनरका आश्रम है जो पुण्यजनक होनेके साथ ही समस्त पापोंसे छुटकारा दिलानेवाला है। तुम मेरे साथ इस पवित्र आश्रमका दर्शन करो। महाराज! वहाँ पुण्यात्मा महात्मा ब्राह्मणोंको सदा सनातन देवता तथा मुनियोंका दर्शन होता रहता है
ity evam uktvā rājānam āruroha divaṃ punaḥ | uśīnaro 'pi dharmātmā dharmeṇāvṛtya rodasī dīpyamāna-śarīraḥ svargalokaṃ jagāma ||
Having spoken thus, Indra again ascended to heaven. King Uśīnara too—steadfast in dharma—so filled earth and sky with the radiance of his righteousness that, assuming a resplendent form, he departed to the heavenly world. O King, this is the hermitage of that great-souled Uśīnara: it is meritorious and grants release from all sin. Come with me and behold this holy āśrama. There, the virtuous great brāhmaṇas continually behold the eternal gods and the sages.
श्येन उवाच
Educational Q&A
Dharma is portrayed as a power that transforms the person and their destiny: steadfast righteousness generates puṇya, dispels pāpa, and leads to exalted states (symbolized by a radiant body and ascent to Svarga). Sacred places associated with such dharmic exemplars are said to purify and elevate those who visit them.
After concluding his message, Indra returns to heaven. King Uśīnara, celebrated for his dharma, also departs to Svarga in a luminous form. The speaker (Śyena) then identifies Uśīnara’s hermitage as a holy, sin-destroying place and invites the listener-king to visit it, noting that virtuous brāhmaṇas there regularly behold gods and sages.