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 dit : Les rois qui avaient survécu au carnage—conduits par Yudhiṣṭhira—avec Dhṛtarāṣṭra et Kṛṣṇa, ainsi que Bhīma, Arjuna et les frères jumeaux (Nakula et Sahadeva), furent submergés de chagrin après la guerre. Ils se rendirent auprès de Bhīṣma, l’aïeul des Bhārata, qui gisait abattu tel le soleil précipité sur la terre, et, encore et encore, exprimèrent leur douleur devant lui—cherchant conseil et clarté morale au lendemain de la ruine.
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.