Shloka 1
ऑपनआक्रात बछ। अड्--क्ाज पज्चषष्टर्याधेकशततमो& ध्याय: नित्यस्मरणीय देवता
Vaiśampāyana uvāca—śarat-talpa-gataṃ Bhīṣmaṃ Pāṇḍavo ’tha Kurūdvahaḥ | Yudhiṣṭhiro hitaṃ prepsur apṛcchat kalmaṣāpaham ||
Vaiśampāyana sprach: Daraufhin befragte Yudhiṣṭhira, der Sohn Pāṇḍus und der Vornehmste der Kurus, im Verlangen nach wahrhaft Heilsamem, Bhīṣma, als dieser auf dem Bett der Pfeile lag—über ein Thema, das Makel und Sünde tilgt.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse frames dharma-inquiry as a deliberate pursuit of true welfare (hita) and moral purification (kalmaṣāpaha). It signals that ethical clarity and removal of inner taint are sought through respectful questioning of a realized elder, especially after the devastations of war.
After the war, Bhīṣma lies on the bed of arrows. Yudhiṣṭhira, as the leading Kuru and newly responsible ruler, approaches him and asks a question aimed at dispelling sin/impurity—introducing the ensuing instruction of Anuśāsana Parva.