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 ||
Vaiśampāyana berkata: Setelah menanggalkan segala perhiasan, raja pun menyarung pakaian daripada kulit kayu; demikian juga Bhīma, Arjuna, Yama (Yudhiṣṭhira), dan Draupadī yang termasyhur. Perbuatan itu menandai pelepasan yang disengajakan daripada identiti diraja dan kesenangan, memilih kezuhudan ketika melangkah ke perjalanan terakhir, selaras dengan cita dharma tentang ketidaklekatan di hujung hayat.
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.