Shloka 31
धृतराष्ट्राश्रमगमनम् — The Pandavas’ Procession to Dhritarashtra’s Hermitage
इति श्रीमहाभारते आश्रमवासिके पर्वणि पुत्रदर्शनपर्वणि गड़ातीरगमने एकत्रिंशो5ध्याय:
iti śrīmahābhārate āśramavāsike parvaṇi putradarśanaparvaṇi gaḍātīragamane ekatriṃśo 'dhyāyaḥ
Thus, in the Śrī Mahābhārata, within the Āśramavāsika Parvan—specifically in the section called the “Vision of the Sons”—in the episode concerning the going to the bank of the Gaḍā, ends the thirty-first chapter. This closing colophon frames the narrative as a sacred record and signals a transition: the text emphasizes remembrance, reconciliation, and the moral weight of kinship even after the devastations of war.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
As a colophon, the verse does not teach through direct instruction; it frames the preceding events as sacred history and highlights the ethical resonance of the ‘vision of sons’ motif—grief, accountability, and reconciliation persist beyond victory or defeat, reminding readers that dharma includes how one bears loss and remembers kin.
This line marks the end of a chapter: it identifies the larger book (Mahābhārata), the parvan (Āśramavāsika), the sub-section (Putradharśana), and the specific episode (going to the bank of the Gaḍā), concluding the thirty-first chapter and signaling a transition to what follows.