Shloka 25
Mahāprasthānika-parva Adhyāya 2: The Northward March, Sight of Himavat and Meru, and the Sequential Falls
युधिषछ्िर उवाच अतिभुक्तं च भवता प्राणेन च विकत्थसे । अनवेक्ष्य परं पार्थ तेनासि पतित: क्षितौ
yudhiṣṭhira uvāca
atibhuktaṃ ca bhavatā prāṇena ca vikatthase |
anavekṣya paraṃ pārtha tenāsi patitaḥ kṣitau ||
Yudhiṣṭhira berkata: “Engkau telah menikmati makan minum melampaui batas, dan engkau membanggakan bahkan nafas hidupmu. Wahai Pārtha, kerana engkau tidak memandang kepada yang lebih luhur—tidak menoleh kepada kebaikan tertinggi—maka engkau jatuh tersungkur ke bumi.”
युधिषछ्िर उवाच
Educational Q&A
Excess and self-boasting—especially attachment to one’s own vitality and prowess—lead to moral and spiritual decline. The verse warns that neglecting the ‘higher’ (param), i.e., the supreme good and disciplined dharma, results in a fall.
During the great departure (mahāprasthāna), Yudhiṣṭhira addresses Pārtha (Arjuna) with a sharp moral diagnosis: Arjuna’s fall is attributed to overindulgence and pride, and to failing to keep sight of the higher aim that should govern a life of dharma.