Shloka 33
Śara-śayyā-sthita-bhīṣma-saṃvāda-prastāvaḥ
The Prelude to Questioning Bhīṣma on the Bed of Arrows
राजानो हतशिष्टास्त्वां राजन्नभित आसते । धर्माननुयुयुक्षन्तस्ते भ्य: प्रब्रूहि भारत,भारत! नरेश्वर! मरनेसे बचे हुए ये भूपाल आपके पास धर्मकी जिज्ञासासे बैठे हैं। आप इन सबको धर्मका उपदेश करें
rājāno hataśiṣṭās tvāṃ rājan abhita āsate | dharmān anuyuyukṣantas tebhyaḥ prabrūhi bhārata bhārata nareśvara ||
Vāyu said: “O king, the surviving rulers—those left after the slaughter—are seated all around you. Eager to inquire into dharma and to test it through questioning, they have come. O Bhārata, O lord of men, instruct them in righteousness.”
वायुदेव उवाच
Educational Q&A
That a righteous king should respond to sincere inquiry by expounding dharma—offering ethical guidance to those seeking clarity, especially after the moral upheaval of war.
After the devastation of battle, surviving kings gather around the addressed sovereign and seek instruction on dharma; Vāyu urges the king to teach them.