Shloka 5
Śara-śayyā-sthita-bhīṣma-saṃvāda-prastāvaḥ
The Prelude to Questioning Bhīṣma on the Bed of Arrows
हतशिष्टाश्न॒ राजानो युधिष्ठिरपुरोगमा: । धृतराष्ट्रश्न कृष्णश्न भीमार्जुनयमास्तथा
Vaiśampāyana uvāca: hataśiṣṭāś ca rājāno yudhiṣṭhirapurogamāḥ | dhṛtarāṣṭraś ca kṛṣṇaś ca bhīmārjunayamās tathā ||
Vaiśampāyana said: The kings who had survived the slaughter—led by Yudhiṣṭhira—together with Dhṛtarāṣṭra and Kṛṣṇa, and also Bhīma, Arjuna, and the twin brothers (Nakula and Sahadeva), were overwhelmed by grief after the war. They went to Bhīṣma, the grandsire of the Bharatas, who lay fallen like the sun brought down to the earth, and again and again voiced their sorrow before him—seeking counsel and moral clarity in the aftermath of devastation.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse frames the ethical aftermath of war: even the victors and survivors are burdened by grief and seek guidance from a revered elder (Bhīṣma). It prepares the ground for Śānti Parva’s dharma-instruction—how rulers should restore order, restrain vengeance, and pursue righteous governance after catastrophic violence.
After the Kurukṣetra war, the surviving leaders—headed by Yudhiṣṭhira and including Dhṛtarāṣṭra, Kṛṣṇa, and the Pāṇḍavas—approach Bhīṣma, who lies fallen and near death. They repeatedly express their sorrow to him, setting up Bhīṣma’s forthcoming teachings on dharma, statecraft, and peace.