Svargārohaṇa-parva Adhyāya 2 — Yudhiṣṭhira’s Inquiry for His Kin and the Vision of a Punitive Realm
क्व ते महारथा: सर्वे शार्ट्लसमविक्रमा: । तैरप्ययं जितो लोक: कच्चित् पुरुषसत्तमै:
yudhiṣṭhira uvāca |
kva te mahārathāḥ sarve śārḍūlasamavikramāḥ |
tair apy ayaṃ jito lokaḥ kaccit puruṣasattamaiḥ ||
坚战说道:“那些勇猛如虎的诸大车战士如今在哪里?那些人中最胜者——将自身之躯献入战火者——也已征服此天界了吗?”
युधिछिर उवाच
The verse frames heaven as something ‘won’ through merit and heroic sacrifice, while also highlighting Yudhiṣṭhira’s ethical concern: true honor is not merely victory in war, but the rightful fruition of deeds (karma-phala) for those who gave their lives.
Having reached the threshold of heaven in the Svargārohaṇa episode, Yudhiṣṭhira anxiously asks where the great warriors are—those who died in the battle—and whether they too have attained this heavenly realm.