Shloka 9
Kṛṣṇa’s Dhyāna and the Prompt to Question Bhīṣma (कृष्णध्यानं भीष्मप्रश्नप्रेरणा च)
त्वत्प्रपन्नाय भक्ताय शिरसा प्रणताय च । ध्यानस्यास्य यथा तच्त्व॑ ब्रृहि धर्मभूतां वर
tvatprapannāya bhaktāya śirasā praṇatāya ca | dhyānasyāsya yathā tattvaṁ brūhi dharmabhūtāṁ vara ||
Yudhiṣṭhira said: “To me—who have taken refuge in you, who am devoted, and who bow my head in reverence—please explain, O best of the righteous, the true nature and proper method of this meditation, as it really is.”
युधिछिर उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse frames spiritual instruction as arising from humility and surrender: the seeker approaches with devotion and reverence and asks for the ‘tattva’—the true principle and correct understanding—of meditation, implying that right inner practice is integral to dharma.
In the Śānti Parva’s instruction setting, Yudhiṣṭhira, adopting the posture of a disciple, declares his refuge and devotion and requests a clear explanation of the nature and method of the meditation being taught by the righteous teacher.