Mahabharata — Mahaprasthanika Parva, Shloka 14
अध्याय १: महाप्रस्थानारम्भः
The Commencement of the Great Departure
स्त्रियश्व द्विजमुख्येभ्यस्तदा शतसहस्रशः । प्रयत्नशील युधिष्ठिरने भगवान् श्रीकृष्णके उद्देश्यसे द्वैपायन व्यास
vaiśampāyana uvāca | striyaś ca dvijamukhyebhyas tadā śatasahasraśaḥ | prayatnaśīlo yudhiṣṭhireṇa bhagavān śrīkṛṣṇaṃ uddiśya dvāpāyana-vyāsaṃ devarṣi-nāradaṃ tapodhana-mārkaṇḍeyaṃ bhāradvājaṃ yājñavalkyaṃ ca munīn susvādu-bhojanaiḥ bhojitāḥ | bhagavannāma-kīrtanaṃ kṛtvā sa uttamabrāhmaṇebhyo nānāvidhāni ratnāni vastrāṇi grāmān aśvān rathāṃś ca dadau | bahūn brāhmaṇa-śiromaṇīn lakṣaśaḥ kumārī-kanyāś ca adāt || kṛpam abhyarcya ca gurum atha paurapuraskṛtam ||
毗湿摩波耶那说：其时，妇女无数，且诸“再生者”之最上首领，皆以百千无量之数受礼敬。尤提士提罗谨慎勤勉，备办甘美饮食——并以此功德奉献于世尊圣克里希那——供养岛生毗耶娑、天仙那罗陀、苦行圣者摩尔坎德耶，以及婆罗门圣贤婆罗陀婆阇与耶若那伐尔迦。继而称扬歌咏主之圣名，他又赐予上等婆罗门种种宝珠、衣服、村邑、骏马与战车；并以极其众多之数，将处女之女许配于显赫婆罗门。随后，他又如法礼敬克利帕——那位为城民与众人所尊崇的师长。
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse foregrounds dharma expressed as generous giving, reverence to sages and teachers, and devotional orientation (dedicating acts to Kṛṣṇa and chanting His name). Ethical kingship is shown not merely as power but as responsibility: honoring the learned, supporting social institutions, and performing charity with care and sacred intent.
As the Mahāprasthāna (great departure) approaches, Yudhiṣṭhira arranges large-scale hospitality and gifts. He feeds eminent sages, distributes wealth and royal resources to brāhmaṇas, arranges marriages for many maidens, and then honors Kṛpa, the respected preceptor acclaimed by the populace—signaling a deliberate settling of worldly obligations before renunciation.