Shloka 9
Mahāprasthānika-parva Adhyāya 2: The Northward March, Sight of Himavat and Meru, and the Sequential Falls
यो5यमस्मासु सर्वेषु शुश्रूषुरनहंकृत: । सो<थयं माद्रवतीपुत्र: कस्मान् निपतितो भुवि
yo ’yam asmāsu sarveṣu śuśrūṣur anahaṅkṛtaḥ | so ’thayaṃ mādravatīputraḥ kasmān nipatito bhuvi ||
Vaiśampāyana dit : «Celui-ci—toujours attentif à nous servir tous, et entièrement exempt d’orgueil—Sahadeva, fils de Mādrī, pour quelle faute est-il tombé à terre ?»
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
Even conspicuous virtues like service and humility do not erase the subtle workings of past faults; the passage prompts ethical self-examination—asking what hidden lapse (doṣa) can bring a fall, especially at the end-of-life journey where inner truth is tested.
During the Pāṇḍavas’ final journey (mahāprasthāna), Sahadeva collapses. The narrator’s line highlights Sahadeva’s well-known qualities—devoted service and lack of pride—then raises the pressing question: what specific fault caused his fall.