Shloka 133
Adhyāya 32: Tāpasānāṃ Darśanaṃ — Ascetics Seek to Identify the Pāṇḍavas
सरथा: सध्वजाश्रैव स्वानि वेश्मानि भेजिरे | तब मुनिवर व्यासजीने उन सब लोगोंका विसर्जन कर दिया और वे महामना नरेश एक ही क्षणमें सबके देखते-देखते पुण्यसलिला भागीरथीमें गोता लगाकर अदृश्य हो गये। रथों और ध्वजाओंसहित अपने-अपने लोकोंमें चले गये
sarathāḥ sadhvajāś caiva svāni veśmāni bhejire |
Vaiśampāyana said: Then, with their chariots and banners, they returned to their own abodes. At that time the best of sages, Vyāsa, dismissed all those people; and those great-souled kings, in a single instant—before everyone’s eyes—plunged into the holy, merit-bearing waters of the Bhāgīrathī and vanished from sight, departing to their respective worlds. The passage underscores the sanctifying power of sacred waters and the final release granted to those who have borne the burdens of kingship in accordance with dharma.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the culmination of a dharmic life: after fulfilling worldly duties, one may be granted release. The holy Bhāgīrathī symbolizes purification and transition, while Vyāsa’s dismissal signifies the completion of a divinely guided episode and the turning from public life toward final spiritual destiny.
After the events being witnessed, Vyāsa sends the gathered people away. The kings then, before everyone’s eyes, enter the sacred waters of the Bhāgīrathī and disappear, understood as departing to their respective realms; meanwhile others return with their chariots and banners to their own dwellings.