Mahabharata — Mahaprasthanika Parva, Shloka 24
अध्याय १: महाप्रस्थानारम्भः
The Commencement of the Great Departure
युधिष्ठिरमतं ज्ञात्वा वृष्णिक्षयमवेक्ष्य च । भ्रातर: पञ्च कृष्णा च षष्ठी श्वा चैव सप्तम:
yudhiṣṭhiramataṃ jñātvā vṛṣṇikṣayam avekṣya ca | bhrātaraḥ pañca kṛṣṇā ca ṣaṣṭhī śvā caiva saptamaḥ ||
毗湿摩波耶那说：既已明了由提施提罗的决意，又目睹弗利什尼族的覆灭，五兄弟便一同启程——以黑公主（德劳帕迪）为第六，以一犬为第七。
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights dharmic renunciation: after recognizing the collapse of worldly supports (the Vṛṣṇi destruction) and Yudhiṣṭhira’s firm resolve, the Pāṇḍavas choose a final path of detachment. It frames ethical maturity as the ability to relinquish power and proceed with steadiness when an age has ended.
Vaiśampāyana narrates that the five Pāṇḍava brothers, together with Draupadī, set out on the Mahāprasthāna (the Great Departure). A dog also follows them, counted as the seventh companion, marking the beginning of their last journey away from the kingdom.