Shloka 36
Vyāsa’s Inquiry into Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s Tapas and the Identification of Vidura with Dharma
एतच्छुत्वा महाबाहुः सहदेवो युधां पति:,इति श्रीमहाभारते आश्रमवासिके पर्वणि पुत्रदर्शनपर्वणि युधिष्ठिरप्रत्यागमे षट्त्रिंशो5ध्याय:
etac chrutvā mahābāhuḥ sahadevo yudhāṁ patiḥ | iti śrīmahābhārate āśramavāsike parvaṇi putradarśanaparvaṇi yudhiṣṭhirapratyāgame ṣaṭtriṁśo 'dhyāyaḥ ||
Vaiśampāyana said: Hearing this, the mighty-armed Sahadeva, a lord among warriors, responded accordingly. Thus, in the Śrī Mahābhārata, within the Āśramavāsika Parva—specifically the section concerning the vision of the sons, during Yudhiṣṭhira’s return—ends the thirty-sixth chapter.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores the ethical importance of attentive hearing and measured response: in the aftermath of immense loss, dharma is sustained through listening to wise narration/counsel and acting with responsibility rather than impulse.
This is a closing colophon-like line: Vaiśampāyana notes that Sahadeva heard what was said, and it marks the conclusion of the chapter within the Āśramavāsika Parva, in the Putradarśana section, during the episode of Yudhiṣṭhira’s return.