Shloka 1
Nara-Nārāyaṇa Precedent and Bhīṣma’s Counsel on Kṛṣṇa–Arjuna; Karṇa’s Reply
अपना छा अकाल एकोनपज्चाशत्तमो<्ध्याय: भीष्मका दुर्योधनको संधिके लिये समझाते हुए श्रीकृष्ण और अर्जुनकी महिमा बताना एवं कर्णपर आक्षेप करना
vaiśampāyana uvāca | samaveteṣu sarveṣu teṣu rājasu bhārata | duryodhanam idaṃ vākyaṃ bhīṣmaḥ śāntanavo 'bravīt ||
Vaiśampāyana sprach: O Bhārata, als all jene Könige versammelt waren, richtete Bhīṣma, der Sohn Śāntanus, diese Worte an Duryodhana.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse sets up an ethical-political instruction: in a public assembly, a senior guardian of dharma (Bhīṣma) is about to counsel a powerful but misguided ruler (Duryodhana). It highlights the responsibility of elders to speak truth for the welfare of the realm and the accountability of kings to heed wise counsel.
Allied kings have gathered, and the narrator Vaiśampāyana reports that Bhīṣma begins addressing Duryodhana. This is the opening line introducing Bhīṣma’s forthcoming speech in the council context, a key moment in the lead-up to the Kurukṣetra war.