Adhyāya 3: Indra’s Invitation and Yudhiṣṭhira’s Refusal to Abandon the Dog
Svargārohaṇa Test
स तं रथं समास्थाय राजा कुरुकुलोदवह: । ऊर्ध्वमाचक्रमे शीघ्रं तेजसा55वृत्य रोदसी,कुरुकुलतिलक राजा युधिष्ठिर उस रथमें बैठकर अपने तेजसे पृथ्वी और आकाशको व्याप्त करते हुए तीव्र गतिसे ऊपरकी ओर जाने लगे
sa taṁ rathaṁ samāsthāya rājā kurukulodvahaḥ | ūrdhvam ācakrame śīghraṁ tejasāvṛtya rodasī ||
Sinabi ni Vaiśampāyana: Pagsakay sa karwaheng iyon, si Haring Yudhiṣṭhira—ang pinakadakilang tagapagdala ng angkan ng Kuru—ay nagsimulang umakyat nang mabilis. Sa ningning ng sarili niyang kabutihang-dharma at karangalan ng hari, wari’y nilulukuban niya ang lupa at langit, hudyat ng kaganapan ng buhay na inialay sa dharma at ng paglipat mula sa paghaharing makalupa tungo sa huling paglalakbay na lampas dito.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
The verse underscores the fruition of dharma: a ruler who has upheld righteousness and relinquished attachment is portrayed as rising beyond the human sphere, his 'tejas' symbolizing moral-spiritual authority that transcends worldly power.
Yudhiṣṭhira mounts a chariot and begins a swift upward ascent, his radiance filling earth and sky—an epic sign that his final passage is underway and that his life’s dharmic stature is being affirmed in a cosmic register.