Shloka 24
वैशम्पायन उवाच एवमुक्तस्तु गाड़ेय: कुन्तीपुत्रेण धीमता । ददर्श भारतान् सर्वान् स्थितान् सम्परिवार्य ह
vaiśampāyana uvāca | evam uktas tu gāṅgeyaḥ kuntīputreṇa dhīmatā | dadarśa bhāratān sarvān sthitān samparivārya ha |
വൈശമ്പായനൻ പറഞ്ഞു—ഹേ ജനമേജയ! ബുദ്ധിമാനായ കുന്തീപുത്രൻ യുധിഷ്ഠിരൻ ഇങ്ങനെ പറഞ്ഞപ്പോൾ, ഗംഗാനന്ദനായ ഭീഷ്മൻ കണ്ണുകൾ തുറന്ന്, തன்னை ചുറ്റിനിന്നിരുന്ന സമസ്ത ഭാരതവംശജരെയും കണ്ടു.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse frames dharma-teaching as a solemn, communal act: the wise king (Yudhiṣṭhira) seeks guidance, the elder authority (Bhīṣma) rouses himself to respond, and the whole lineage stands as witness—implying that ethical instruction is not private opinion but a responsibility borne before society and tradition.
After Yudhiṣṭhira addresses him, Bhīṣma (Gāṅgeya) opens his eyes and looks upon the assembled Bhāratas who are standing around him on all sides, setting the stage for Bhīṣma’s ensuing discourse on dharma in the Anuśāsana Parva.