Shloka 2
Vāsudeva-Māhātmya: Duryodhana’s Inquiry and Bhīṣma’s Theological Account of Keśava
भीष्म: किमकरोत् तत्र पाण्डवेयेषु संयुगे । पितामहे वा पञ्चालास्तन्ममाचक्ष्व संजय,धृतराष्ट्रने पूछा--संजय! उस भयंकर युद्धमें जब भीष्मने मेरे विशेष दुःखी हुए पुत्रके क्रोध दिलानेपर प्रतिज्ञा कर ली, तब उन्होंने उस युद्धस्थलमें पाण्डवोंके प्रति क्या किया? तथा पांचाल योद्धाओंने पितामह भीष्मके प्रति क्या किया?
dhṛtarāṣṭra uvāca | bhīṣmaḥ kim akarot tatra pāṇḍaveyeṣu saṁyuge | pitāmahe vā pañcālāḥ tan mamācakṣva sañjaya ||
Dhṛtarāṣṭra said: “Sañjaya, tell me: in that battle, what did Bhīṣma do there against the sons of Pāṇḍu? And what did the Pañcālas do against Grandfather Bhīṣma?”
ध्ृतराष्र उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse frames ethical attention on conduct in war: Dhṛtarāṣṭra seeks a precise account of how leaders and allies acted—Bhīṣma toward the Pāṇḍavas and the Pañcālas toward Bhīṣma—highlighting that actions in battle are morally and strategically consequential and must be truthfully reported.
Dhṛtarāṣṭra questions Sañjaya about the course of fighting: he asks what Bhīṣma did on the battlefield against the Pāṇḍavas, and how the Pañcāla warriors responded against Bhīṣma, setting up Sañjaya’s detailed narration of the day’s engagements.