Shloka 36
स्वर्गारोहणपर्व — तृतीयोऽध्यायः
Indra and Dharma’s Consolation; Celestial Gaṅgā Purification
नच ते भ्रातरः पार्थ नरकार्हा विशाम्पते । मायैषा देवराजेन महेन्द्रेण प्रयोजिता
na ca te bhrātaraḥ pārtha narakārhā viśāmpate | māyaiṣā devarājena mahendreṇa prayojitā ||
毗湿摩波耶那说：“噢，帕尔塔，众民之主，你的兄弟们并不配居于地狱。你所见他们在地狱受苦，不过是天帝因陀罗——诸神之王——所施展显现的幻相。”
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores that apparent suffering in the moral cosmos may sometimes be a divinely arranged test or revelation rather than a final judgment. It reassures that the Pāṇḍavas’ essential righteousness is recognized, and that perception can be clouded by māyā; therefore one should not hastily conclude about another’s ultimate fate.
After the climactic journey toward heaven, the protagonist witnesses his brothers seemingly experiencing hellish torment. Vaiśaṃpāyana explains that this vision was not their true destiny but an illusion orchestrated by Indra, meant to disclose, test, or complete the narrative’s moral resolution before the final heavenly outcome.