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 |
毗湿摩波耶那说道：国王尤提士提罗说罢，便继续前行。就在这时，毗摩忽然倒在地上。倒下之际，毗摩呼唤法王尤提士提罗，询问自己崩倒的缘由；而这趟旅程的道德清算，也开始显露其真相。
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.