Shloka 23
Mahāprasthānika-parva Adhyāya 2: The Northward March, Sight of Himavat and Meru, and the Sequential Falls
वैशम्पायन उवाच इत्युक्त्वा प्रस्थितो राजा भीमो5थ निपपात ह । पतितश्चाब्रवीद् भीमो धर्मराजं युधिष्ठिरम्
vaiśampāyana uvāca | ity uktvā prasthito rājā bhīmo 'tha nipapāta ha | patitaś cābravīd bhīmo dharmarājaṃ yudhiṣṭhiram |
ヴァイシャンパーヤナは語った。そう言い終えると、王ユディシュティラはさらに歩みを進めた。するとビーマが忽然と地に倒れた。倒れ伏したまま、ビーマはダルマラージャ・ユディシュティラを呼び、その崩れ落ちた理由を問うた。かくして旅路の道徳的な清算が、次第に姿を現し始めたのである。
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse initiates the ethical unraveling of the great journey: even the mightiest can fall when subtle moral residues remain. It frames the Mahāprasthāna as a test where inner dharma, not external power, determines who can continue.
After Yudhiṣṭhira proceeds onward, Bhīma suddenly collapses. While fallen, he calls out to Yudhiṣṭhira and speaks—setting up the forthcoming explanation of the moral cause behind his fall.