Shloka 37
अध्याय १: महाप्रस्थानारम्भः
The Commencement of the Great Departure
युधिष्ठिर महाबाहो भीमसेन परंतप । अर्जुनाश्विसुती वीरी निबोधत वचो मम,“महाबाहु युधिष्ठिर! शत्रुसंतापी भीमसेन! अर्जुन! और वीर अश्विनीकुमारो! तुम सब लोग मेरी इस बातपर ध्यान दो
vaiśampāyana uvāca |
yudhiṣṭhira mahābāho bhīmasena parantapa |
arjuna aśvisutī vīrī nibodhata vaco mama ||
Vaiśampāyana said: “O mighty-armed Yudhiṣṭhira, O Bhīmasena, scorcher of foes, O Arjuna, and you two heroic sons of the Aśvins—listen attentively to my words.”
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse models disciplined receptivity to guidance: even the greatest heroes are first asked to listen and understand. In the Mahāprasthānika context, it frames the ethical gravity of the final journey—right action begins with attentive hearing of dharmic counsel.
The narrator Vaiśampāyana directly addresses Yudhiṣṭhira, Bhīma, Arjuna, and the twin sons of the Aśvins (Nakula and Sahadeva), calling them by honorific epithets and instructing them to heed his words, preparing the audience for the next crucial statement in the Great Departure episode.