Vidura’s Message to Dhṛtarāṣṭra: Authorization for Dāna and Public Welfare (विदुरवाक्यम्—दानानुज्ञा)
शशलोमा च राजा55सीदू राजन् परमधार्मिक: । सम्यगस्मिन् वने तप्त्वा ततो दिवमवाप्तवान्,राजन! परम धर्मात्मा राजा शशलोमाने भी इसी वनमें उत्तम तपस्या करके स्वर्ग प्राप्त किया था
śaśalomā ca rājā āsīd rājan paramadhārmikaḥ | samyag asmin vane taptvā tato divam avāptavān, rājan |
นารทกล่าวว่า “ข้าแต่พระราชา ครั้งหนึ่งมีพระมหากษัตริย์ผู้ทรงธรรมยิ่งนามว่า ศศโลมา พระองค์บำเพ็ญตบะโดยชอบในป่าแห่งนี้ แล้วจึงบรรลุสวรรค์”
नारद उवाच
Properly undertaken tapas (austere discipline) grounded in dharma can elevate even a ruler to the highest posthumous goal described here—attainment of heaven—showing that ethical conduct and sincere spiritual effort are decisive, not mere status.
Nārada cites an exemplary precedent: he tells the addressed king that a former ruler, Śaśalomā, practiced austerities in the same forest and, by doing so rightly, attained heaven—strengthening the authority of the forest-ascetic ideal within the episode.