Rāma’s Abhiṣeka Plan, Kaikeyī’s Boon, and the Initiation of the Exile
Mārkaṇḍeya’s Account
के गुणास्तत्र वसतां कि तप: कश्न निश्चय: । स्वर्गे तत्र सुखं कि च दोषो वा देवदूतक
ke guṇās tatra vasatāṁ kiṁ tapaḥ kaś ca niścayaḥ | svarge tatra sukhaṁ kiṁ ca doṣo vā devadūtaka ||
ヴィヤーサは言った。「そこに住まう者たちはいかなる徳を備えるのか。いかなる苦行(タパス)を修し、いかなる堅固な決意に導かれているのか。天界にはどのような安楽があり——そして、そこに少しでも過失はあるのか、小さき神の使者よ。」
व्यास उवाच
The verse frames a moral inquiry: heavenly attainment is not treated as automatic or purely pleasurable; it is examined in terms of the virtues (guṇa), disciplined effort (tapas), and steadfast intention (niścaya) that support it, and whether even svarga contains limitations (doṣa).
Vyāsa addresses a divine messenger and asks for a description of the residents of that heavenly state—what qualities they possess, what austerities or disciplines they follow, what inner resolve sustains them, what happiness is experienced there, and whether any drawback exists.