Shloka 15
Mahāprasthānika-parva Adhyāya 2: The Northward March, Sight of Himavat and Meru, and the Sequential Falls
इत्युक्तो भीमसेनेन प्रत्युवाच युधिष्ठिर: । नकुलं प्रति धर्मात्मा सर्वबुद्धिमतां वर:,भीमसेनके इस प्रकार पूछनेपर समस्त बुद्धिमानोंमें श्रेष्ठ धर्मात्मा युधिष्ठिरने नकुलके विषयमें इस प्रकार उत्तर दिया--
ity ukto bhīmasenena pratyuvāca yudhiṣṭhiraḥ | nakulaṃ prati dharmātmā sarvabuddhimatāṃ varaḥ ||
Ainsi interpellé par Bhīmasena, Yudhiṣṭhira répondit. Cet être à l’âme droite—le premier parmi tous les sages—donna sa réponse au sujet de Nakula, posant le cadre éthique de ce qu’il convenait de faire durant leur ultime voyage.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse foregrounds Yudhiṣṭhira as the exemplar of dharma and discernment: when questioned, he responds not impulsively but with ethical clarity, indicating that even in moments of loss and hardship one should interpret events through the lens of dharma and right understanding.
During the Mahāprasthāna (the Pāṇḍavas’ final departure), Bhīma asks a question, and Yudhiṣṭhira answers specifically regarding Nakula—introducing the explanation that follows about the moral or spiritual reason connected with Nakula in the unfolding journey.