Shloka 20
अध्याय १: महाप्रस्थानारम्भः
The Commencement of the Great Departure
उत्सृज्याभरणान्यज्राज्जगृहे वल्कलान्युत । भीमार्जुनयमाश्चैव द्रौपदी च यशस्विनी
utsṛjyābharaṇāny ajrāj jagṛhe valkalāny uta | bhīmārjunayamāś caiva draupadī ca yaśasvinī ||
Vaiśampāyana sprach: Nachdem sie ihren Schmuck abgelegt hatten, nahm der König Gewänder aus Baumrinde; ebenso taten es Bhīma, Arjuna, Yama (Yudhiṣṭhira) und die ruhmreiche Draupadī. Diese Tat bezeichnete eine bewusste Entsagung: Die Insignien und Annehmlichkeiten der Königswürde wurden beiseitegelegt, um in Askese die letzte Reise anzutreten, im Einklang mit dem dharmischen Ideal der Loslösung am Ende des Lebens.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the dharmic ideal of renunciation at the close of worldly duties: relinquishing symbols of power and luxury (ornaments) and adopting austere attire (bark-garments) to cultivate detachment and readiness for the final passage.
As the Mahāprasthāna begins, Yudhiṣṭhira and his companions—Bhīma, Arjuna, and Draupadī—discard royal ornaments and take up bark-garments, outwardly marking their transition from rulers to ascetics setting out on their last journey.