Shloka 61
Adhyāya 152 — Bhīṣma’s Authorization for Yudhiṣṭhira’s Return to the Capital (नगरप्रवेशानुज्ञा)
ततो ययुर्भूतगणा: सरितश्न॒ यथागतम् | गन्धर्वाप्सरसश्वैव प्रणम्य शिरसा भवम्
tato yayur bhūta-gaṇāḥ saritaś ca yathāgatam | gandharvāpsarasaś caiva praṇamya śirasā bhavam ||
پھر بھوت گن اور ندیاں جیسے آئے تھے ویسے ہی لوٹ گئے۔ گندھرو اور اپسرائیں بھی بھَو (شیو) کو سر جھکا کر پرنام کر کے اپنے اپنے دھاموں کو چلے گئے۔
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights proper reverence and orderly conduct in a sacred setting: divine beings depart only after paying homage to Śiva, reflecting dharmic etiquette—honor to the divine and disciplined closure after instruction.
After Pārvatī’s discourse on strī-dharma (women’s duties/ethics) and Śiva’s honoring of her, Śiva dismisses the gathered retinue; the bhūta-gaṇas, rivers, Gandharvas, and Apsarases bow to him and return to their own abodes.