Shloka 25
Gautama–Śakra Saṃvāda: Karma, Loka-bheda, and the Restoration of the Elephant
गौतम उवाच यत्रोत्तरा: कुरवो भांति रम्या देवै: सार्थ मोदमाना नरेन्द्र । यत्राग्नियौनाश्ष॒ वसंति लोका अब्योनय: पर्वतयोनयश्नल
gautama uvāca | yatrottarāḥ kuravo bhānti ramyā devaiḥ sārthaṃ modamānā narendra | yatrāgni-yonāś ca vasanti lokā ab-yonayaḥ parvata-yonayaś ca ||
ガウタマは言った。「王よ、北方のクル族が愛でるべき美しさに輝き、神々とともに歓喜する国がある。そこには不思議な者たちが住む—火より生まれた者、水より生まれた者、山より生まれた者がいる。わたしがその地へ赴き—インドラがあらゆる願いの成就を雨のごとく降らせ、女たちが望むままに行き来し、男女のあいだに嫉みがまったく存在しない—その時、わたしは汝から我が象を取り戻そう。」
गौतम उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores the moral force of a sage’s vow and the principle of rightful restitution: Gautama sets a clear condition for reclaiming what is his, while also contrasting ordinary human society with an ideal realm marked by abundance and the absence of jealousy—implying that ethical harmony is a higher good than mere enjoyment.
Gautama addresses a king and describes the wondrous land of Uttara-Kuru, where divine-like beings live and all desires are fulfilled under Indra’s beneficence. He declares that after going there, he will return to take back his elephant—framing his claim as a firm, time-bound resolve.