Shloka 12
Adhyāya 3: Indra’s Invitation and Yudhiṣṭhira’s Refusal to Abandon the Dog
Svargārohaṇa Test
भीतं भक्त नान्यदस्तीति चार्त॑ प्राप्तं क्षीणं रक्षणे प्राणलिप्सुम् । प्राणत्यागादप्यहं नैव मोक्तुं यतेयं वै नित्यमेतद् व्रतं मे
yudhiṣṭhira uvāca | bhītaṃ bhaktaṃ nānyad astīti cārtaṃ prāptaṃ kṣīṇaṃ rakṣaṇe prāṇalipsum | prāṇatyāgād apy ahaṃ naiva moktuṃ yateyaṃ vai nityam etad vrataṃ me ||
坚战说道：“纵使须舍我自身之命，我也不能抛弃那在恐惧与虔诚中来投，哀呼‘我别无依怙’的求庇者；他困厄、衰弱、无力自卫，只求保全性命。此乃我恒常之誓：永远竭力护持如此来归之人。”
युधिछिर उवाच
Educational Q&A
A ruler’s dharma is to protect those who seek refuge—especially the fearful, weak, and distressed—even when doing so entails personal risk. The verse frames protection of the suppliant as a lifelong vow (vrata), not a situational choice.
In the Mahāprasthānika context, Yudhiṣṭhira articulates his unwavering ethical commitment: anyone who approaches him in distress, declaring there is no other refuge, must not be abandoned. It underscores his identity as a dharmic king even at the end of his journey.