Shloka 18
Mahāprasthānika-parva Adhyāya 2: The Northward March, Sight of Himavat and Meru, and the Sequential Falls
तांस्तु प्रपतितान् दृष्टवा पाण्डव: श्वेतवाहन: । पपात शोकसन्तप्तस्ततो नु परवीरहा
tāṁstu prapatitān dṛṣṭvā pāṇḍavaḥ śvetavāhanaḥ | papāta śokasantaptas tato nu paravīrahā ||
Thấy họ ngã gục xuống đất, Pāṇḍava Arjuna—người có cỗ xe do những tuấn mã trắng kéo, kẻ sát phạt các dũng tướng địch—bị nỗi bi thương trùm phủ; lòng cháy rát vì sầu muộn, chàng cũng khuỵu xuống.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights impermanence and the limits of worldly strength: even a celebrated warrior is undone by sorrow when confronted with loss. It points toward the Mahābhārata’s ethical movement from heroic action to detachment—accepting destiny and the inevitable dissolution of human bonds.
During the great departure (mahāprasthāna), Arjuna sees his companions already fallen. Struck by intense grief, he too collapses, marking another step in the sequential falling of the Pāṇḍavas on their final journey.