Shloka 1
Mahāprasthānika-parva Adhyāya 2: The Northward March, Sight of Himavat and Meru, and the Sequential Falls
इस प्रकार श्रीमह्या भारत महाप्रस्थानिकपर्वमें पहला अध्याय पूरा हुआ,पम्प छा अर: द्वितीयो&्ध्याय: मार्ममें द्रौपदी, सहदेव, नकुल, अर्जुन और भीमसेनका गिरना तथा युधिष्ठिरद्वारा प्रत्येकके गिरनेका कारण बताया जाना वैशम्पायन उवाच ततस्ते नियतात्मान उदीचीं दिशमास्थिता: । ददृशुर्योगयुक्ताश्व हिमवन्तं महागिरिम्
Vaiśampāyana uvāca: tatas te niyatātmāna udīcīṃ diśam āsthitāḥ | dadṛśur yoga-yuktāśvaṃ Himavantaṃ mahāgirim ||
Vaiśampāyana disse: Então aqueles de alma disciplinada, tendo tomado o rumo do norte, avistaram o grande monte Himavat, a montanha imensa, como um corcel jungido ao yoga.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
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.
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).