स्वर्गारोहणपर्व — तृतीयोऽध्यायः
Indra and Dharma’s Consolation; Celestial Gaṅgā Purification
सोदर्येषु विनष्टेषु द्रौपद्या तत्र भारत । श्वरूपधारिणा तत्र पुनस्त्व॑ मे परीक्षित:
sodaryeṣu vinaṣṭeṣu draupadyā tatra bhārata | śvarūpadhāriṇā tatra punas tvāṃ me parīkṣitaḥ ||
Vaiśampāyana disse: “Ó Bhārata, quando teus próprios irmãos haviam perecido ali, junto com Draupadī, eu te testei pela segunda vez assumindo a forma de um cão. Também nessa prova te mantiveste firme.”
वैशम्पायन उवाच
True dharma is shown not by success or reward but by unwavering ethical conduct—especially compassion and fidelity to one’s commitments—even when one stands alone after loss.
After Draupadī and the Pāṇḍava brothers have fallen on the final journey, Yudhiṣṭhira is subjected to another moral test: the divine examiner takes the form of a dog to assess his steadfastness, and Yudhiṣṭhira passes.