As the Pandavas and Draupadi climbed the snowy slopes of Mount Meru, seeking to attain heaven, Draupadi was the first to fall, but the Pandavas did not stop walking.
Then Sahadeva fell, and Nakula. No one stopped.
Arjuna. Then Bhima.
Alone, Yudhishthira kept on walking up the mountain.
As he walked, he reflected on the flaws that made them fall.
Draupadi had not loved all her husbands equally; she preferred Arjuna.
Sahadeva was proud of his knowledge, and Nakula of his beauty.
Arjuna had been envious, and Bhima gluttonous.
And so Yudhishthira kept walking, wondering if he too would fall.
Inspired by: Jaya: An Illustrated Retelling of the Mahabharata by Devdutt Pattanaik.
Notes: This story is on p. 333.
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