Shloka 11
Adhyāya 3: Indra’s Invitation and Yudhiṣṭhira’s Refusal to Abandon the Dog
Svargārohaṇa Test
इन्द्रने कहा--धर्मराज! कुत्ता रखनेवालोंके लिये स्वर्गलोकमें स्थान नहीं है। उनके यज्ञ करने और कुआँ, बावड़ी आदि बनवानेका जो पुण्य होता है उसे क्रोधवश नामक राक्षस हर लेते हैं; इसलिये सोच-विचारकर काम करो। छोड़ दो इस कुत्तेको। ऐसा करनेमें कोई निर्दयता नहीं है ।।
yudhiṣṭhira uvāca | bhakta-tyāgaṃ prāhur atyanta-pāpaṃ tulyaṃ loke brahma-vadhyā-kṛtena | tasmān nāhaṃ jātu kathaṃcanādya tyakṣyāmy enaṃ sva-sukhārthī mahendra ||
ユディシュティラは言った。「大帝釈よ、賢者は、帰依して庇護を求めた者を見捨てることは贖い得ぬ罪であり、この世では婆羅門殺しに等しいと説く。ゆえに大帝釈よ、我は己が幸福のために、今日この犬をいかなる形でも捨てはしない。」
युधिछिर उवाच
Educational Q&A
Dharma is upheld by refusing to abandon a devoted dependent for personal gain; loyalty and protection of one who has taken refuge are treated as paramount duties, and their violation is portrayed as a gravely sinful act.
At the threshold of heaven, Indra urges Yudhiṣṭhira to enter but asks him to leave behind the dog that has accompanied him. Yudhiṣṭhira refuses, declaring that abandoning such a faithful companion would be an inexpiable sin, even if it costs him entry into heaven.