Śara-śayyā-sthita-bhīṣma-saṃvāda-prastāvaḥ
The Prelude to Questioning Bhīṣma on the Bed of Arrows
जन्मप्रभृति ते कश्चिद् वृजिनं न ददर्श ह । ज्ञातारं सर्वधर्माणां त्वां विदु: सर्वपार्थिवा:
janmaprabhṛti te kaścid vṛjinaṃ na dadarśa ha | jñātāraṃ sarvadharmāṇāṃ tvāṃ viduḥ sarvapārthivāḥ ||
വായു പറഞ്ഞു—ജന്മം മുതൽ ഇന്നുവരെ നിനക്കിൽ ഒരു അധർമ്മവും ആരും കണ്ടിട്ടില്ല. എല്ലാ രാജാക്കന്മാരും നിന്നെ സർവ്വധർമ്മങ്ങളുടെയും ജ്ഞാതാവെന്നു അറിയുന്നു.
वायुदेव उवाच
Moral authority in dharma is grounded in a consistently blameless life: one who is publicly known to avoid wrongdoing gains credibility as a guide to righteous conduct, even among rulers.
Vāyudeva addresses the interlocutor with praise, affirming that from birth no fault has been seen in him and that all kings recognize him as a comprehensive knower of dharma—establishing his ethical stature for the discussion that follows.