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 said: Then Yudhiṣṭhira, the son of Pāṇḍu and foremost of the Kurus, desiring what would be truly beneficial, questioned Bhīṣma as he lay upon the bed of arrows—about a theme that removes moral taint and sin.
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.