Shloka 12
Svargārohaṇa-parva Adhyāya 2 — Yudhiṣṭhira’s Inquiry for His Kin and the Vision of a Punitive Realm
कि मे भ्रातृविहीनस्य स्वर्गेण सुरसत्तमा: । यत्र ते मम स स्वर्गो नायं स्वर्गो मतो मम
ki me bhrātṛ-vihīnasya svargeṇa sura-sattamāḥ | yatra te mama sa svargo nāyaṃ svargo mato mama, sura-śreṣṭhaṇa ||
Yudhiṣṭhira berkata: “Wahai yang terbaik antara para dewa, apakah gunanya syurga ini bagiku jika aku harus berada tanpa saudara-saudaraku? Di mana pun mereka berada, itulah sahaja syurga bagiku. Tanpa mereka, aku tidak menganggap alam ini sebagai syurga.”
युधिछिर उवाच
Educational Q&A
Heaven is not merely a place of pleasure or reward; for a dharmic person, true ‘svarga’ is inseparable from righteousness, love, and loyalty. Yudhiṣṭhira rejects personal bliss if it requires abandoning those bound to him by duty and affection.
In the Svargārohaṇa episode, Yudhiṣṭhira is shown the heavenly realm but finds himself separated from his brothers. Addressing the gods, he declares that such a heaven is meaningless to him; he values being with his brothers over enjoying celestial reward alone.