Shloka 23
अध्याय १: महाप्रस्थानारम्भः
The Commencement of the Great Departure
प्रस्थितान् द्रौपदीषष्ठान् पुरा द्यृूतजितान् यथा । हर्षोउभवच्च सर्वेषां भ्रातृणां गमन॑ प्रति,पहले जूएमें परास्त होकर पाण्डवलोग जिस प्रकार वनमें गये थे उसी प्रकार उस दिन द्रौपदीसहित उन नरोत्तम पाण्डवोंको इस प्रकार जाते देख नगरकी सभी स्त्रियाँ रोने लगीं। परन्तु उन सभी भाइयोंको इस यात्रासे महान् हर्ष हुआ
prasthitān draupadī-ṣaṣṭhān purā dyūtajitān yathā | harṣo 'bhavac ca sarveṣāṃ bhrātṝṇāṃ gamanaṃ prati ||
Vaiśampāyana said: As they set out—those foremost of men, the five brothers with Draupadī as the sixth—just as earlier they had gone to the forest after being defeated at dice, so too on that day the women of the city wept on seeing them depart. Yet for all those brothers, this journey itself became a source of great joy.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse contrasts public grief with the protagonists’ inner resolve: the world mourns visible loss, while those committed to dharma can experience serenity—even joy—in renunciation and in completing life’s ordained course.
Vaiśampāyana describes the Pāṇḍavas departing with Draupadī on their final journey, likening it to their earlier departure to the forest after the dice defeat; the city’s women weep at the sight, but the brothers themselves feel great joy about the journey.