Shloka 14
अध्याय १: महाप्रस्थानारम्भः
The Commencement of the Great Departure
स्त्रियश्व द्विजमुख्येभ्यस्तदा शतसहस्रशः । प्रयत्नशील युधिष्ठिरने भगवान् श्रीकृष्णके उद्देश्यसे द्वैपायन व्यास
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 dit : Alors, par centaines de milliers innombrables, les femmes et les plus éminents des « deux-fois-nés » furent honorés. Yudhiṣṭhira, avec un soin délibéré, offrit des mets exquis—dédiant cet acte au Seigneur Śrī Kṛṣṇa—à Dvaipāyana Vyāsa, au devarṣi Nārada, à l’ascète Mārkaṇḍeya, ainsi qu’aux sages Bhāradvāja et Yājñavalkya. Après avoir chanté le Nom du Seigneur, il accorda aux brāhmaṇas d’élite des joyaux de toutes sortes, des vêtements, des villages, des chevaux et des chars ; et il donna aussi, en nombre immense, des jeunes filles vierges en mariage à d’illustres brāhmaṇas. Puis il rendit un culte dû à Kṛpa, le maître vénérable, honoré par les citadins et le peuple.
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.