Shloka 4

Śara-śayyā-sthita-bhīṣma-saṃvāda-prastāvaḥ

The Prelude to Questioning Bhīṣma on the Bed of Arrows

Devanagari script

वैशम्पायन उवाच शरतल्पगते भीष्मे कौरवाणां धुरन्धरे । आजम्मुरषय: सिद्धा नारदप्रमुखा नूप

Transliteration

vaiśampāyana uvāca | śaratālpagate bhīṣme kauravāṇāṃ dhurandhare | ājagmur ṛṣayaḥ siddhā nāradapramukhā nṛpa ||

Translation

Vaiśampāyana dit : Ô roi, lorsque Bhīṣma—le ferme soutien du fardeau des Kaurava—gisait sur son lit de flèches, des ṛṣi accomplis (siddha-ṛṣi), conduits par Nārada, arrivèrent en ce lieu.

Word by Word

• वैशम्पायनः: Vaiśampāyana
• वैशम्पायनः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: वैशम्पायन
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• उवाच: said
• Type: Verb
• Root: वच्
• Form: Perfect (Paroksha-bhuta), 3rd, Singular, Parasmaipada

• शरतल्पगते: when (he) had gone to / was lying on the bed of arrows
• शरतल्पगते: Adhikarana
• Type: Adjective
• Root: शरतल्पगत
• Form: Masculine, Locative, Singular

• भीष्मे: in/when Bhīṣma (was)
• भीष्मे: Adhikarana
• Type: Noun
• Root: भीष्म
• Form: Masculine, Locative, Singular

• कौरवाणाम्: of the Kauravas
• Type: Noun
• Root: कौरव
• Form: Masculine, Genitive, Plural

• धुरन्धरे: in/when the burden-bearer (chief supporter)
• धुरन्धरे: Adhikarana
• Type: Noun
• Root: धुरन्धर
• Form: Masculine, Locative, Singular

• आजग्मुः: came/arrived
• Type: Verb
• Root: गम्
• Form: Perfect (Paroksha-bhuta), 3rd, Plural, Parasmaipada

• ऋषयः: sages
• ऋषयः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: ऋषि
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

• सिद्धाः: Siddhas (perfected beings)
• सिद्धाः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: सिद्ध
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

• नारदप्रमुखाः: with Nārada as the foremost
• नारदप्रमुखाः: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: नारद-प्रमुख
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

Speaker

वैशम्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Vaiśampāyana
• Bhīṣma
• Kauravas
• Nārada
• Siddha Ṛṣis
• Śara-tālpa (bed of arrows)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse establishes the ethical setting for Bhīṣma’s forthcoming discourse: dharma is to be learned in the presence of realized sages, and guidance for rulers gains weight when affirmed by spiritual authorities like Nārada and the siddha-ṛṣis.

What is happening in the narrative?

Bhīṣma lies on the bed of arrows after the war; at that moment, Nārada and other perfected sages arrive, signaling that an important, dharma-centered instruction is about to unfold.