Shloka 1
Jājali–Tulādhāra-saṃvāda: Yajña, Vṛtti, and Ātma-tīrtha (जाजलि-तुलाधार-संवादः)
युधिष्ठिरने पूछा--पितामह! ये जो असंख्य भूपाल (प्राणशून्य होकर) इस भूतलपर सेनाके बीचमें सो रहे हैं इनकी ओर दृष्टिपात कीजिये। ये महान् बलवान् थे तो भी संज्ञाहीन होकर पड़े हैं
Yudhiṣṭhira uvāca—Pitāmaha, ye 'sakhyā bhūpālāḥ prāṇaśūnyā bhūtvā asmin bhūtale senā-madhye śerate, tān paśya. Ete mahā-bala-balavantaḥ santo 'pi saṃjñā-hīnāḥ patitāḥ.
Yudhiṣṭhira berkata: “Wahai Kakek Agung, pandanglah para raja yang tak terbilang ini—tanpa nyawa, terbaring di bumi di tengah bala tentara. Dahulu mereka perkasa dan kuat, namun kini jatuh tak sadar, tak bergerak.”
युधिछिर उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse foregrounds the ethical shock of war: worldly power and royal might end in the same lifeless stillness. It sets the stage for Shanti Parva’s inquiry into dharma—how a ruler should understand duty, violence, and responsibility after witnessing the impermanence of strength and status.
After the Kurukshetra war, Yudhishthira addresses Bhishma, calling him ‘Grandfather,’ and points to the battlefield strewn with dead kings. He urges Bhishma to look at them—once formidable warriors, now unconscious and fallen—expressing grief and moral reflection that leads into Bhishma’s teachings.