Shloka 20
अध्याय १: महाप्रस्थानारम्भः
The Commencement of the Great Departure
उत्सृज्याभरणान्यज्राज्जगृहे वल्कलान्युत । भीमार्जुनयमाश्चैव द्रौपदी च यशस्विनी
utsṛjyābharaṇāny ajrāj jagṛhe valkalāny uta | bhīmārjunayamāś caiva draupadī ca yaśasvinī ||
वैशंपायन म्हणाले—आभूषणे टाकून देऊन राजाने वल्कले धारण केली; तसेच भीम, अर्जुन, यम (युधिष्ठिर) आणि यशस्विनी द्रौपदीनेही वल्कल परिधान केली.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the dharmic ideal of renunciation at the close of worldly duties: relinquishing symbols of power and luxury (ornaments) and adopting austere attire (bark-garments) to cultivate detachment and readiness for the final passage.
As the Mahāprasthāna begins, Yudhiṣṭhira and his companions—Bhīma, Arjuna, and Draupadī—discard royal ornaments and take up bark-garments, outwardly marking their transition from rulers to ascetics setting out on their last journey.