Shloka 19
Mahāprasthānika-parva Adhyāya 2: The Northward March, Sight of Himavat and Meru, and the Sequential Falls
तस्मिंस्तु पुरुषव्याप्रे पतिते शक्रतेजसि । ग्रियमाणे दुराधर्षे भीमो राजानमब्रवीत्
tasmiṃstu puruṣavyāpre patite śakratejasi | gṛhyamāṇe durādharṣe bhīmo rājānam abravīt ||
Entonces, aquel héroe poderoso—Arjuna, resplandeciente con el fulgor de Indra—cayó a tierra; el guerrero inconquistable se acercaba a su fin. En ese momento, Bhīma se dirigió al rey Yudhiṣṭhira. La escena abre una grave crisis moral: aun los más grandes pueden caer, y los que sobreviven deben afrontar el sentido del dharma, la responsabilidad y las causas ocultas del sufrimiento en la marcha final.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
Even the most exalted hero can fall; the episode presses the ethical question of why suffering befalls the virtuous and how one should respond—without attachment, with discernment about karma and dharma, and with steadiness in the face of death.
During the Pāṇḍavas’ final journey, Arjuna collapses and approaches death. Bhīma, shaken by the fall of the Indra-like warrior, turns to King Yudhiṣṭhira to ask the reason—setting up an explanation tied to conduct, vows, and the subtle workings of dharma.