Shloka 6
Paurava-vaṃśa-kathana (Account of the Paurava Lineage) | महाभारत आदि पर्व अध्याय ८९
वैशम्पायन उवाच ततः प्रहायामरराजजुष्टान् पुण्याँलल्लोकान् पतमानं ययातिम् | सम्प्रेक्ष्य राजर्षिवरो5ष्टकस्त- मुवाच सद्धर्मविधानगोप्ता
vaiśampāyana uvāca | tataḥ prahāyāmararāja-juṣṭān puṇyān lokān patamānaṃ yayātim | samprekṣya rājarṣi-varo ’ṣṭakas tam uvāca sad-dharma-vidhāna-goptā ||
वैशम्पायन उवाच—ततः प्रहायामरराजजुष्टान् पुण्यान् लोकान् पतमानं ययातिम्। सम्प्रेक्ष्य राजर्षिवरोऽष्टकस्तं मुवाच सद्धर्मविधानगोप्ता॥
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
Even exalted heavenly attainments based on merit (puṇya) are not permanent; when merit is exhausted, one falls. The verse frames Aṣṭaka as a guardian of dharma, implying that ethical order and right conduct—not mere celestial enjoyment—are central to lasting spiritual understanding.
Yayāti, after enjoying Indra-associated meritorious worlds, begins to fall from those realms. Aṣṭaka, renowned among royal sages and described as a protector of dharma’s ordinances, sees Yayāti’s descent and prepares to address him.