Shloka 46
अध्याय १: महाप्रस्थानारम्भः
The Commencement of the Great Departure
उदीची पुनरावृत्य ययुर्भरतसत्तमा: | प्रादक्षिण्यं चिकीर्षन्त: पृथिव्या योगधर्मिण:
udīcīṃ punarāvṛtya yayur bharatasattamāḥ | prādakṣiṇyaṃ cikīrṣantaḥ pṛthivyā yogadharmiṇaḥ ||
Wieder zum Norden gewandt, zogen die Vornehmsten der Bhāratas weiter. In der Disziplin des Yoga gefestigt, wollten sie die Pradakṣiṇā vollenden: die Erde im glückverheißenden Rechtsgang umrunden, als Akt der Verehrung und Selbstzucht auf ihrer letzten Reise.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights disciplined detachment: even at the end of life, the Pāṇḍavas act with reverence and restraint, framing their movement as prādakṣiṇā—an ethical, devotional orientation rather than worldly conquest.
On their great departure, the Pāṇḍavas turn again toward the north and continue traveling, intending to complete a clockwise circumambulation of the earth while remaining established in yogic discipline.