Shloka 14
अध्याय १: महाप्रस्थानारम्भः
The Commencement of the Great Departure
स्त्रियश्व द्विजमुख्येभ्यस्तदा शतसहस्रशः । प्रयत्नशील युधिष्ठिरने भगवान् श्रीकृष्णके उद्देश्यसे द्वैपायन व्यास, देवर्षि नारद, तपोधन मार्कण्डेय, भारद्वाज और याज्ञवल्क्य मुनिको सुस्वादु भोजन कराया। भगवान्का नाम कीर्तन करके उन्होंने उत्तम ब्राह्मणोंको नाना प्रकारके रत्न, वस्त्र, ग्राम, घोड़े और रथ प्रदान किये। बहुत-से ब्राह्मणशिरोमणियोंको लाखों कुमारी कन्याएँ दीं ।। कृपमभ्यर्च्य च गुरुमथ पौरपुरस्कृतम्
vaiśampāyana uvāca | striyaś ca dvijamukhyebhyas tadā śatasahasraśaḥ | prayatnaśīlo yudhiṣṭhireṇa bhagavān śrīkṛṣṇaṃ uddiśya dvāpāyana-vyāsaṃ devarṣi-nāradaṃ tapodhana-mārkaṇḍeyaṃ bhāradvājaṃ yājñavalkyaṃ ca munīn susvādu-bhojanaiḥ bhojitāḥ | bhagavannāma-kīrtanaṃ kṛtvā sa uttamabrāhmaṇebhyo nānāvidhāni ratnāni vastrāṇi grāmān aśvān rathāṃś ca dadau | bahūn brāhmaṇa-śiromaṇīn lakṣaśaḥ kumārī-kanyāś ca adāt || kṛpam abhyarcya ca gurum atha paurapuraskṛtam ||
Vaiśampāyana said: Then, in countless hundreds of thousands, women and the foremost of the twice-born were honored. Yudhiṣṭhira, acting with deliberate care, offered sumptuous food—dedicating the act to Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa—to Dvaipāyana Vyāsa, the divine seer Nārada, the ascetic sage Mārkaṇḍeya, and the sages Bhāradvāja and Yājñavalkya. After chanting the Lord’s name, he bestowed upon excellent brāhmaṇas many kinds of jewels, garments, villages, horses, and chariots; and he also gave, in vast numbers, maiden daughters in marriage to eminent brāhmaṇas. Then he duly worshiped Kṛpa, the revered teacher, honored by the citizens and the people.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse foregrounds dharma expressed as generous giving, reverence to sages and teachers, and devotional orientation (dedicating acts to Kṛṣṇa and chanting His name). Ethical kingship is shown not merely as power but as responsibility: honoring the learned, supporting social institutions, and performing charity with care and sacred intent.
As the Mahāprasthāna (great departure) approaches, Yudhiṣṭhira arranges large-scale hospitality and gifts. He feeds eminent sages, distributes wealth and royal resources to brāhmaṇas, arranges marriages for many maidens, and then honors Kṛpa, the respected preceptor acclaimed by the populace—signaling a deliberate settling of worldly obligations before renunciation.