Shloka 32
अथ पाण्डून् कुरूंश्वैव प्रणिपत्याग्रत: स्थितान् अभ्यभाषत धर्मात्मा भीष्म: शान्तनवस्तदा,पाण्डव तथा कौरव जब प्रणाम करके उनके सामने खड़े हुए, तब शान्तनुनन्दन धर्मात्मा भीष्मने उनसे इस प्रकार कहा--
atha pāṇḍūn kurūṁś caiva praṇipatya agrataḥ sthitān abhyabhāṣata dharmātmā bhīṣmaḥ śāntanavas tadā
Then Bhīṣma, the righteous son of Śāntanu, having bowed to the Pāṇḍavas and the Kurus who stood before him, addressed them.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
Even in the midst of inevitable conflict, dharmic conduct—humility, respect for elders and kin, and disciplined speech—remains obligatory. The verse highlights that moral order is not suspended by war; it is tested most sharply there.
Sañjaya reports that Bhīṣma, standing before both sides, first offers obeisance to the Pāṇḍavas and the Kurus and then begins to speak. It marks the formal commencement of Bhīṣma’s address at a critical juncture in the war narrative.