Mahabharata 3.37.53 — Vana Parva, Adhyaya 37, Shloka 53
Vyāsa’s Counsel to Yudhiṣṭhira: Pratismṛti-vidyā, Arjuna’s Aśtra-Quest, and the Move to Kāmyaka
कामान् वृणीष्य लोकांस्त्व॑ प्राप्तोडसि परमां गतिम् । एवमुक्त: प्रत्युवाच सहस्राक्षं धनंजय:,तब महेन्द्रने प्रसन्नचित्त हो हँसते हुए-से कहा--“धनंजय! जब तुम यहाँतक आ पहुँचे, तब तुम्हें अस्त्रोंको लेकर क्या करना है? अब इच्छानुसार उत्तम लोक माँग लो; क्योंकि तुम्हें उत्तम गति प्राप्त हुई है।।
vaiśampāyana uvāca | kāmān vṛṇīṣva lokāṁs tvam prāpto 'si paramāṁ gatim | evam uktaḥ pratyuvāca sahasrākṣaṁ dhanaṁjayaḥ ||
ヴァイシャンパーヤナは語った。「望む欲も、望む世界も選ぶがよい。汝は最高の道に到ったのだから。」そう告げられて、ダナンジャヤは千眼の主（インドラ）に答えた。「神々の王よ、私は森に兄弟を残してきました。敵の怨みをまだ返さぬまま、貪りや欲望に従って、神位も、快楽も、諸神の覇権さえも求めはしません。もしそうすれば、あらゆる世界において大いなる不名誉が永く私に及ぶでしょう。」
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
True attainment is not merely access to heavenly rewards; a kṣatriya’s dharma prioritizes integrity, self-mastery, and the fulfillment of rightful duty. Arjuna rejects pleasure and even divine sovereignty if it would mean abandoning justice and earning lasting disgrace.
Indra invites Arjuna to choose any desired worlds, implying he has reached a supreme state. Arjuna responds that he will not accept such rewards while his brothers remain in hardship and the wrong done by enemies remains unredressed; he fears moral failure and enduring ill-fame.
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