17.003
Dialogue between Indra and Yudhiṣṭhira.
Vaiśampāyana said.
Then Śakra (Indra), making all of heaven and earth resound, approached Pārtha in his chariot and said to him, "Ascend." (17-3-1)
Seeing his brothers fallen, Dharmarāja Yudhishthira, afflicted by grief, spoke these words to Sahasrākṣa (Indra). (17-3-2)
May my fallen brothers come here together with me. O lord of the gods, I do not wish to go to heaven without my brothers. (17-3-3)
O Indra, the tender, happiness-deserving princess should go with us; may you kindly grant permission. (17-3-4)
Indra said.
You will see your brothers and sons, who have gone to heaven before you, all together with Kṛṣṇā. Do not grieve, O best of the Bharatas. (17-3-5)
O best of the Bharatas, they have departed after casting off the human body. By this body, you will go to heaven; there is no doubt. (17-3-6)
Yudhiṣṭhira said.
This dog, O Lord of the past and future, is always devoted to me. Truly, my decision is that he should go with me together, out of compassion. (17-3-7)
Indra said.
O king, you have today attained immortality, equality with me, all prosperity, great fame, and the heavenly pleasures. Abandon the dog; there is no cruelty here. (17-3-8)
Yudhiṣṭhira said.
O thousand-eyed (Indra), even for a noble person, it may be possible to perform an unworthy act, but this is difficult, noble one. Let there not be union for me with that Śrī (wealth), for whose sake I might abandon a devoted person. (17-3-9)
Indra said.
In heaven, there is no place for those who have become like dogs; acts of charity and sacrifice are nullified by anger. Therefore, after considering this, O Dharmarāja, abandon the dog; there is no cruelty here. (17-3-10)
Yudhiṣṭhira said.
They declare that abandoning a devotee is utterly sinful—equal in the world to killing a Brāhmaṇa. Therefore, O Mahendra, I shall never, in any way, abandon him today for the sake of my own happiness. (17-3-11)
Indra said.
Driven by anger, dogs take away whatever they see—be it given, desired, openly offered, or sacrificed. Therefore, give up this dog; by abandoning the dog, you will attain the world of the gods. (17-3-12)
Having left your brothers and your beloved Kṛṣṇā as well, you have, O hero, reached the world by your own deed. Yet you do not leave this dog; how is it that, having taken up total renunciation, you are confused today? (17-3-13)
Yudhishthira said.
In this world, neither conciliation nor conflict is possible with the dead; thus, among mortals, their end is established. They cannot indeed be revived by me; therefore, abandonment has been made of them—not of the living. (17-3-14)
Returning harm to one who has sought refuge, a woman's killing, the abduction of a Brāhmaṇa's property, and betrayal of a friend—these four, O Śakra, and also abandonment of the devoted—are considered equal by me. (17-3-15)
Vaiśampāyana said.
Having heard that speech from Dharmarāja, the revered lord in the form of dharma spoke to Yudhiṣṭhira, the king, with gentle and praising words, full of affection. (17-3-16)
You are nobly born, O king, by the conduct of your father, by your intelligence, and by this compassion towards all beings, O Bhārata. (17-3-17)
Once, in the Dvaita forest, you were tested by me, O son, where, for the sake of water, your brothers who went forth were slain. (17-3-18)
Where, having abandoned Bhīma and Arjuna, you, indeed desiring equality between the two mothers, wish for Nakula's life. (17-3-19)
This dog, being truly devoted, was abandoned for the sake of the divine chariot by you; therefore, O lord of men, in heaven there is none equal to you. (17-3-20)
Therefore, O Bhārata, with your own body, you have attained to the imperishable worlds, O best of the Bharatas, the unsurpassed divine state. (17-3-21)
Then Dharma, Indra, the Maruts, the Ashvins, the gods, and the divine sages placed Yudhishthira (the Pāṇḍava) upon the chariot. (17-3-22)
They, the perfected beings, departed in their own celestial chariots, enjoying at will. All were free from passion, virtuous, pure in speech, and wise in action. (17-3-23)
Having mounted that chariot, the king—the foremost of the Kuru lineage—quickly ascended upwards, enveloping both heaven and earth in brilliance. (17-3-24)
Then Nārada, standing among the hosts of the gods and knowing all worlds, spoke in a loud voice, he whose words are great and who is of great penance. (17-3-25)
All these royal sages too have assembled here. Yet, covering their fame, indeed, the Kuru king presides over them. (17-3-26)
We have not heard of anyone other than the Pāṇḍava who, by his own deeds, encompassing the worlds with fame, splendor, and excellence of conduct, has attained this.
Hearing the words of Nārada, the king spoke. After addressing the gods, the righteous king also addressed his own supporters and the other kings. (17-3-28)
Whether good or evil, whatever is the place of my brothers today, that alone I desire to obtain; I do not wish for any other worlds. (17-3-29)
But when he heard the king's words, the lord of the gods, Purandara (Indra), full of compassion, replied to Yudhishthira. (17-3-30)
O King, rightly dwell here, where auspicious deeds have been accomplished; why do you still harbor human affection even now and allow it to trouble you? (17-3-31)
You alone have attained supreme success, such as no other man anywhere has attained. Your brothers have not reached this position, O joy of the Kurus. (17-3-32)
Even now, O king, a human feeling touches you. This is heaven; behold the divine sages, the perfected beings, and the inhabitants of heaven. (17-3-33)
But wise Yudhishthira addressed these meaningful words again to Lord Devendra, who had thus spoken. (17-3-34)
O destroyer of Daityas, without them I am not able to stay here; I wish to go there where my brothers have gone. (17-3-35)
"Where she is, tall and dark-skinned, possessing intelligence and noble qualities—Draupadī, the foremost among women—where also is my beloved." (17-3-36)
