Shloka 44
Svargārohaṇa-parva Adhyāya 2 — Yudhiṣṭhira’s Inquiry for His Kin and the Vision of a Punitive Realm
य इमे पापगन्धेडस्मिन् देशे सन्ति सुदारुणे । नाहं जानामि सर्वेषां दुष्कृतं पुण्यकर्मणाम्
ya ime pāpagandhe 'smin deśe santi sudāruṇe | nāhaṃ jānāmi sarveṣāṃ duṣkṛtaṃ puṇyakarmaṇām ||
毗舍婆耶那说：“至于这些身处此恶臭、极其可怖之境的人——他们本是行功德者，我不知有什么恶业可归于他们。我看不出这些义人曾犯何罪，竟要住在这样的地方。”
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the tension between outward merit and the hidden workings of karma: even those known for righteous deeds may appear to face suffering, prompting reflection on moral causality, divine justice, and the limits of human judgment.
In Svargārohaṇa, the narrator describes the shock at seeing virtuous figures associated with the Pāṇḍavas seemingly placed in a foul, terrifying region; the speaker expresses disbelief and ignorance about any sin that could justify such a condition.