Shloka 17
स्वर्गारोहणपर्व — तृतीयोऽध्यायः
Indra and Dharma’s Consolation; Celestial Gaṅgā Purification
आगच्छ नरशार्दूल मुक्तास्ते चैव कल्मषात्
āgaccha naraśārdūla muktās te caiva kalmaṣāt | puruṣasiṃha āgaccha te sarve pāpāt pramuktāḥ | bharataśreṣṭha tava pakṣasya ye ye rājāno yuddhe hatās te sarve svargalokaṃ prāptāḥ | cala teṣāṃ darśanaṃ kuru ||
Vaiśampāyana berkata: “Marilah, wahai harimau di antara manusia. Mereka benar-benar telah dibebaskan daripada kekotoran. Wahai singa di antara manusia, marilah—raja-raja yang gugur dalam peperangan di pihakmu semuanya telah sampai ke alam syurga, bebas daripada dosa. Datanglah sekarang dan lihatlah mereka.”
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse frames death in righteous battle as leading to purification and a heavenly attainment, emphasizing the epic idea that one’s end-state is shaped by dharma and the moral quality of one’s action, not merely by the fact of violence.
Vaiśaṃpāyana urges the addressed hero (praised as ‘tiger/lion among men’ and ‘best of the Bharatas’) to come and see the kings from his side who were slain in the war; they are described as freed from sin and already arrived in Svargaloka.