Shloka 216
अध्याय १: महाप्रस्थानारम्भः
The Commencement of the Great Departure
समुत्सृज्याप्सु सर्वेडग्नीन् प्रतस्थुर्नरपुड़रवा: । भरतश्रेष्ठ! इसके बाद ब्राह्मणोंसे विधिपूर्वक उत्सर्गकालिक इष्टि करवाकर उन सभी नरश्रेष्ठ पाण्डवोंने अग्नियोंका जलमें विसर्जन कर दिया और स्वयं वे महायात्राके लिये प्रस्थित हुए
samutsṛjyāpsu sarvān agnīn pratastḥur narapuṅgavāḥ | bharataśreṣṭha! tataḥ brāhmaṇaiḥ vidhivat utsargakālikīm iṣṭiṃ kārayitvā te sarve narottamāḥ pāṇḍavāḥ agnīn apsu visarjayitvā svayaṃ mahāyātrāyai prasthitāḥ |
毗湿摩波耶那曰：噫，婆罗多族之最上者！其后，他们令婆罗门依仪轨行舍离之终结祭仪；于是，人中最胜的般度诸子将一切圣火投入水中，自己亦启程踏上「大行旅」（mahāyātrā）。
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights dharmic renunciation: one should not abandon duties abruptly, but conclude them through proper rites and then detach from possessions and roles. The Pāṇḍavas’ immersion of the sacred fires symbolizes the completion of the householder’s ritual obligations and a disciplined transition toward the final spiritual journey.
After arranging a prescribed relinquishment-offering (utsarga-kālikī iṣṭi) through Brahmins, the Pāṇḍavas consign their ritual fires into water and depart on the Mahāyātrā—their last journey—marking the beginning of the closing movement of the epic.