Shloka 46
Svargārohaṇa-parva Adhyāya 2 — Yudhiṣṭhira’s Inquiry for His Kin and the Vision of a Punitive Realm
महेन्द्र इव लक्ष्मीवानास्ते परमपूजिता: । कस्येदानीं विकारो5यं य इमे नरकं॑ गता:
mahendra iva lakṣmīvān āste paramapūjitāḥ | kasyedānīṃ vikāro 'yaṃ ya ime narakaṃ gatāḥ ||
毗舍婆耶那说：“他光辉赫然，宛如摩诃因陀罗（因陀罗），受众人至高礼敬。如今这般颠倒究竟是谁的变心——而这些人却反倒堕入地狱？”
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the moral tension between outward honor and inner ethical consequence: someone is exalted and revered like Indra, yet the speaker questions a sudden emotional or moral ‘change’ in the face of others’ descent to hell—implying that true judgment must consider karma and dharma, not merely status or splendor.
In the Svargārohaṇa context, the narration contrasts heavenly honor with the shocking sight or knowledge of certain persons having gone to naraka. Vaiśampāyana frames this as a perplexing ‘vikāra’ (disturbance/change of mind), underscoring the unsettling reversals encountered in the final ascent and reckoning.