Shloka 4
धृतराष्ट्रस्य युधिष्ठिरं प्रति व्यवहार-रक्षा-नियमनोपदेशः | Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s Instruction on Administration, Punishment, and Daily Governance
स त्वां कुरुकुलश्रेष्ठ किंचिदर्थमभीष्सति । श्राद्धमिच्छति दातुं स गाज़ेयस्य महात्मन:
sa tvāṃ kurukulaśreṣṭha kiṃcid artham abhīpsati | śrāddham icchati dātuṃ sa gāṅgeyasya mahātmanaḥ ||
Vaiśaṃpāyana said: “O best of the Kuru line, he seeks you for a certain purpose. He wishes to offer the śrāddha rites for the great-souled Gāṅgeya (Bhīṣma).”
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights dharma expressed through śrāddha—honoring the departed with prescribed rites. Ethical emphasis lies in gratitude, remembrance, and the responsibility of the living to uphold familial and social obligations toward revered elders like Bhīṣma.
Vaiśaṃpāyana informs the addressed Kuru श्रेष्ठ (likely a leading Kuru figure) that someone approaches him with a specific request: to enable or support the performance of śrāddha for Gāṅgeya (Bhīṣma), indicating a ritual act of posthumous honor within the unfolding events of Āśramavāsika.