Shloka 24
भीष्मदर्शनार्थं प्रस्थानम्
Departure to Behold Bhīṣma
क्षेत्र धर्मस्य कृत्स्नस्य कुरुक्षेत्रमवातरन् उन अश्वोंका बल और वेग महान् था। वे आकाशको पीते हुए-से उड़ चले, और बात- की-बातमें सम्पूर्ण धर्मके क्षेत्रभूत कुरुक्षेत्रमें जा पहुँचे || २३ ह ।। ततो ययुर्यत्र भीष्म: शरतल्पगत: प्रभु:
tato yayur yatra bhīṣmaḥ śaratālpagataḥ prabhuḥ |
Vaiśaṃpāyana dit : Alors ils se rendirent là où le puissant Bhīṣma gisait sur son lit de flèches—demeurant souverain d’esprit bien que terrassé—attendant l’instant fixé par le destin, tandis que le champ de Kurukṣetra se tenait en témoin du dharma éprouvé par la guerre.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse frames Bhīṣma as the authoritative source for dharma-instruction: even amid the devastation of war, ethical clarity is sought from one who embodies discipline, vows, and hard-won insight. It signals a turn from battle to reflection—how rulership and conduct should be grounded in dharma after violence.
The narrating voice states that the party (the inquirers seeking counsel) goes to the spot where Bhīṣma lies on his arrow-bed. This sets the scene for the ensuing discourse in Śānti Parva, where Bhīṣma, though wounded, instructs on kingship, duty, and righteous conduct.