Shloka 3
इस प्रकार श्रीमह्या भारत महाप्रस्थानिकपर्वनें युधिष्ठिरका स्वर्गायोह्णविषयक तीसरा अध्याय पूरा हुआ
iti prakāreṇa śrīmahābhārate mahāprasthānika-parvaṇi yudhiṣṭhirasya svargārohaṇa-viṣayakaḥ tṛtīyo 'dhyāyaḥ samāptaḥ
Thus, in the revered Mahābhārata, within the Mahāprasthānika Parva, the third chapter—concerning Yudhiṣṭhira’s ascent to heaven—comes to its conclusion. The closing formula underscores the epic’s ethical arc: steadfast adherence to dharma culminates not merely in worldly victory, but in the final journey toward transcendence.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
As a concluding colophon, the verse signals that the narrative’s moral trajectory is toward dharma fulfilled through renunciation: Yudhiṣṭhira’s life of duty culminates in the final passage beyond worldly bonds, implying that ethical steadfastness is ultimately oriented to liberation and divine recompense.
This line functions as an end-of-chapter marker, stating that the third chapter on Yudhiṣṭhira’s ascent to heaven has ended within the Mahāprasthānika Parva of the Mahābhārata.