अध्याय १: महाप्रस्थानारम्भः
The Commencement of the Great Departure
एष पुत्रस्य पुत्रस्ते कुरुराजो भविष्यति । यदूनां परिशेषश्च वज्ो राजा कृतश्च ह ८ ।।
eṣa putrasya putras te kururājo bhaviṣyati | yadūnāṁ pariśeṣaś ca vajro rājā kṛtaś ca ha || 8 ||
Vaiśampāyana sprach: «O Tochter, dieser—der Sohn deines Sohnes—wird König der Kurus werden. Und unter den verbliebenen Yādavas ist Vajra wahrlich zum König eingesetzt worden.»
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Even after catastrophic loss, dharma is sustained through orderly succession and responsible governance: rightful heirs are installed so society regains stability and continuity.
The narrator announces the political settlement after the great destruction: Parīkṣit, the grandson in the Pāṇḍava line, will rule the Kuru realm, and Vajra is appointed to lead the surviving Yādavas.