Shloka 29
Adhyāya 3: Indra’s Invitation and Yudhiṣṭhira’s Refusal to Abandon the Dog
Svargārohaṇa Test
“अपने यश, तेज और सदाचाररूप सम्पत्तिसे तीनों लोकोंको आवृत करके अपने भौतिक शरीरसे स्वर्गलोकमें आनेका सौभाग्य पाण्डुनन्दन युधिष्ठिरकके सिवा और किसी राजाको प्राप्त हुआ हो, ऐसा हमने कभी नहीं सुना है ।।
Vaiśampāyana uvāca: apane yaśa, teja aura sadācāra-rūpa sampatti se trīṇi lokāni āvṛtya sva-bhautika-śarīreṇa svargaloke āgantuṁ saubhāgyaṁ Pāṇḍu-nandana Yudhiṣṭhiraṁ vinā anyasya kasyacid rājñaḥ prāptaṁ syāt—iti vayaṁ kadācana na śuśruma. tejāṁsi yāni dṛṣṭāni bhūmi-sthena tvayā vibho, veśmāni bhuvi devānāṁ paśya amūni sahasraśaḥ.
毗湿摩波耶那说：除般度之子由提施提罗之外，我们从未听闻有哪位君王——以名声、光辉与正法行持之财富覆蔽三界——竟获赐那稀有的福分：以其肉身直达天界。噢，大能者，如今请看：你在尘世时所见的那些光辉，数量无穷——那便是此道之上诸天神的天宫居处。
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse elevates dharmic kingship: enduring fame and true splendor arise from sadācāra (righteous conduct). Such ethical excellence is portrayed as so potent that it culminates in the extraordinary reward of attaining heaven with the physical body—an emblem of unmatched merit and integrity.
As Yudhiṣṭhira proceeds on the final journey, the narrator (Vaiśampāyana) highlights the uniqueness of his ascent: no other king is known to have reached heaven bodily through the power of fame, tejas, and virtue. Yudhiṣṭhira is then directed to behold the countless luminous celestial dwellings of the gods appearing along the way.