Shloka 36
Vyāsa’s Boon-Offer and Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s Remorse in the Forest Assembly (आश्रमवासिक पर्व, अध्याय ३६)
इस प्रकार श्रीमह्याभारत आश्रमवासिकपर्वके अन्तर्गत पृत्रदर्शनपर्वमें युधिष्ठिरका प्रत्यागगनविषयक छत्तीसवाँ अध्याय पूरा हुआ,ततस्तपोवने तस्मिन् समाजग्मुस्तपोधना:
Iti prakāraṃ śrīmahābhārate āśramavāsikaparvake antargataṃ pitṛdarśanaparvaṇi yudhiṣṭhirasya pratyāgamanaviṣayakaḥ ṣaṭtriṃśattamo ’dhyāyaḥ pūrṇaḥ; tataḥ tapovane tasmin samājagmus tapodhanāḥ.
इस प्रकार श्रीमहाभारत के आश्रमवासिकपर्व के अन्तर्गत पितृदर्शनपर्व में युधिष्ठिर के प्रत्यागमन-विषयक छत्तीसवाँ अध्याय समाप्त हुआ। तत्पश्चात् उस तपोवन में तपोधन मुनिगण एकत्र हुए।
युधिछिर उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse functions as a formal closure and transition: it underscores the movement from royal narrative to an ascetic setting, highlighting the Mahābhārata’s ethical arc where dharma is increasingly sought through restraint, tapas, and the counsel of spiritually accomplished people.
The text marks the end of the thirty-sixth chapter (about Yudhiṣṭhira’s return) within the Pitṛdarśana episode of the Āśramavāsika Parva, and then states that ascetics (tapodhanas) gather in that tapovana, setting the stage for the next development.