Shloka 37
मातापितृपूजन-प्रधानधर्मः (Primacy of Filial Service) — Mārkaṇḍeya’s Account of the Vyādha’s Instruction
धर्मे रतिशक्ष सततं॑ स्वर्गे वासस्तथाक्षय: । तथास्त्विति ततो देवै: प्रीतैरुक्त: स पार्थिव:,“धर्ममें मेरा सदा अनुराग हो और अन्तमें मेरा स्वर्गलोकमें नित्य निवास हो।” यह सुनकर देवताओंने बड़ी प्रसन्नताके साथ राजा कुवलाश्वसे कहा--“महाराज! ऐसा ही होगा”
dharme ratiḥ śakṣa satataṁ svarge vāsas tathākṣayaḥ | tathāstv iti tato devaiḥ prītair uktaḥ sa pārthivaḥ ||
Mārkaṇḍeya nói: “Nguyện ta luôn một lòng mến chuộng dharma, và đến cuối cùng được an trú nơi thiên giới bất hoại.” Nghe vậy, chư thiên hoan hỷ đáp cùng vị vua ấy: “Hãy như thế, hỡi bậc quân vương; mọi điều ngài cầu xin sẽ đúng như vậy.”
मार्कण्डेय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse upholds steadfast attachment to dharma as the highest aspiration; such unwavering righteousness is portrayed as leading to an enduring, blessed state (akṣaya-vāsa in svarga), affirmed by divine approval.
In Mārkaṇḍeya’s narration, a king (identified here as Kuvalāśva) expresses his wish to remain continually devoted to dharma and to attain an imperishable heavenly abode; the gods, pleased with this ethical aspiration, grant the boon with the words “tathāstu.”