Adhyāya 32: Tāpasānāṃ Darśanaṃ — Ascetics Seek to Identify the Pāṇḍavas
सरथा: सध्वजाश्रैव स्वानि वेश्मानि भेजिरे | तब मुनिवर व्यासजीने उन सब लोगोंका विसर्जन कर दिया और वे महामना नरेश एक ही क्षणमें सबके देखते-देखते पुण्यसलिला भागीरथीमें गोता लगाकर अदृश्य हो गये। रथों और ध्वजाओंसहित अपने-अपने लोकोंमें चले गये
sarathāḥ sadhvajāś caiva svāni veśmāni bhejire |
Kemudian resi agung Vyāsa memulangkan mereka semua. Para raja berhati luhur itu, beserta kereta dan panji-panji, kembali ke alam kediaman masing-masing; dan di hadapan semua orang, dalam sekejap, mereka menyelam ke dalam air suci Bhāgīrathī yang penuh jasa kebajikan lalu lenyap dari pandangan.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
The verse highlights the culmination of a dharmic life: after fulfilling worldly duties, one may be granted release. The holy Bhāgīrathī symbolizes purification and transition, while Vyāsa’s dismissal signifies the completion of a divinely guided episode and the turning from public life toward final spiritual destiny.
After the events being witnessed, Vyāsa sends the gathered people away. The kings then, before everyone’s eyes, enter the sacred waters of the Bhāgīrathī and disappear, understood as departing to their respective realms; meanwhile others return with their chariots and banners to their own dwellings.