Mahabharata — Anushasana Parva, Shloka 15
शयानं वीरशयने ददर्श नृपतिस्तत: । ततो रथादवातीर्य भ्रातृभि: सह धर्मराट्,धर्मराज राजा युधिष्ठिर दूरसे ही बाणशय्यापर सोये हुए भीष्मजीको देखकर भाइयोंसहित रथसे उतर पड़े
śayānaṃ vīraśayane dadarśa nṛpatis tataḥ | tato rathād avātīrya bhrātṛbhiḥ saha dharmarāṭ dharmarājo rājā yudhiṣṭhiraḥ ||
Vaiśampāyana said: Then the king beheld Bhīṣma lying upon the hero’s bed—the bed of arrows. Thereupon King Yudhiṣṭhira, Dharma’s sovereign and righteous ruler, alighted from his chariot with his brothers and approached the grandsire with reverence, even amid the war’s lingering aftermath.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse foregrounds dharmic kingship and humility: even as victor, Yudhiṣṭhira approaches the elder Bhīṣma with respect, signaling that moral authority and instruction (dharma) are to be sought from the wise, especially after the devastation of war.
Yudhiṣṭhira sees Bhīṣma lying on the vīraśayana (the bed of arrows). He then descends from his chariot along with his brothers to go near Bhīṣma, setting the stage for Bhīṣma’s teachings on dharma and righteous conduct.