Shloka 35
Rāma’s Abhiṣeka Plan, Kaikeyī’s Boon, and the Initiation of the Exile
Mārkaṇḍeya’s Account
देवदूतके ऐसा कहनेपर महर्षि मुदुगलने उससे कहा--“देवदूत! मैं तुम्हारे मुखसे स्वर्गवासियोंके गुण सुनना चाहता हूँ। वहाँ रहनेवालोंमें कौन-कौनसे गुण होते हैं? कैसी तपस्या होती है? और उनका निश्चित विचार कैसा होता है? स्वर्गमें क्या सुख है और वहाँ क्या दोष है? ।। सतां साप्तपदं मैत्रमाहु: सन्तः कुलोचिता: । मित्रतां च पुरस्कृत्य पृच्छामि त्वामहं विभो,'प्रभो! सत्पुरुषोंमें सात पण एक साथ चलनेसे ही मित्रता हो जाती है, ऐसा कुलीन सत्पुरुषोंका कथन है। मैं उसी मैत्रीको सामने रखकर तुमसे उपर्युक्त प्रश्न पूछ रहा हूँ
devadūtake evaṁ kahanepara maharṣi mudgalena tasmai uvāca— “devadūta! ahaṁ tava mukhāt svargavāsināṁ guṇān śrotum icchāmi. tatra nivāsavatāṁ ke ke guṇāḥ santi? kīdṛśī tapasya bhavati? teṣāṁ niścita-vicāraḥ kīdṛśaḥ? svarge kiṁ sukham, tatra ca ko doṣaḥ? || satāṁ saptapadaṁ maitram āhuḥ santaḥ kulocitāḥ | mitratāṁ ca puraskṛtya pṛcchāmi tvām ahaṁ vibho ||”
When the divine messenger had spoken thus, the sage Mudgala replied: “O messenger of the gods, I wish to hear from your own mouth about the qualities of those who dwell in heaven. What virtues do the residents there possess? What kind of austerity is practiced? What settled conviction guides their thinking? What happiness is found in heaven, and what fault or drawback exists there? The noble and well-bred declare that friendship is formed by walking together seven steps. Holding that bond of friendship foremost, O mighty one, I ask you these questions.”
व्यास उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse frames ethical inquiry as grounded in friendship and trust: Mudgala invokes the traditional idea that companionship (symbolized by ‘seven steps together’) establishes friendship, and on that basis he seeks a balanced account of heaven—its virtues, disciplines, joys, and even its limitations—encouraging discerning reflection rather than blind idealization.
A divine messenger has approached, and the sage Mudgala responds by questioning him. Mudgala asks for a detailed description of the heavenly realm and its inhabitants—what virtues they have, what austerities they perform, what convictions guide them, and what pleasures and defects exist in heaven—explicitly presenting his questions as those of a friend.