Shloka 1

Mahāprasthānika-parva Adhyāya 2: The Northward March, Sight of Himavat and Meru, and the Sequential Falls

Devanagari script

इस प्रकार श्रीमह्या भारत महाप्रस्थानिकपर्वमें पहला अध्याय पूरा हुआ

Transliteration

Vaiśampāyana uvāca: tatas te niyatātmāna udīcīṃ diśam āsthitāḥ | dadṛśur yoga-yuktāśvaṃ Himavantaṃ mahāgirim ||

Translation

Vaiśampāyana dit : Alors ces êtres maîtres d’eux-mêmes, ayant pris la route du nord, virent le grand mont Himavat, la montagne immense, tel un coursier attelé au yoga.

Word by Word

• वैशम्पायनः: Vaiśampāyana
• वैशम्पायनः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: वैशम्पायन
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• उवाच: said
• Type: Verb
• Root: वच्
• Form: Perfect, 3rd, Singular, Parasmaipada

• ततः: then, thereafter
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ततः

• ते: they
• ते: Karta
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: तद्
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

• नियतात्मानः: self-controlled
• नियतात्मानः: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: नियतात्मन्
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

• उदीचीम्: northern
• उदीचीम्: Karma
• Type: Adjective
• Root: उदीची
• Form: Feminine, Accusative, Singular

• दिशम्: direction
• दिशम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: दिश्
• Form: Feminine, Accusative, Singular

• आस्थिताः: having set out / having taken (to)
• आस्थिताः: Karta
• Type: Verb
• Root: आ-स्था
• Form: Past active participle (kta), Masculine, Nominative, Plural

• ददृशुः: they saw
• Type: Verb
• Root: दृश्
• Form: Perfect, 3rd, Plural, Parasmaipada

• योगयुक्ताश्वम्: whose horses are yoked (to a chariot)
• योगयुक्ताश्वम्: Karma
• Type: Adjective
• Root: योगयुक्ताश्व
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Singular

• हिमवन्तम्: Himālaya (Himavat)
• हिमवन्तम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: हिमवत्
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Singular

• महागिरिम्: the great mountain
• महागिरिम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: महागिरि
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Singular

Speaker

वैशम्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Vaiśampāyana
• Himavat (Himalaya)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse foregrounds niyama (self-restraint) as the defining virtue at life’s end: the protagonists move north not as conquerors but as disciplined seekers, implying that ethical mastery of the self surpasses external sovereignty.

What is happening in the narrative?

After beginning their great departure, the party proceeds toward the northern direction and comes into sight of Himavat, the great Himalayan mountain—an important landmark on the Mahāprasthāna (final journey).