Shloka 4
Śara-śayyā-sthita-bhīṣma-saṃvāda-prastāvaḥ
The Prelude to Questioning Bhīṣma on the Bed of Arrows
वैशम्पायन उवाच शरतल्पगते भीष्मे कौरवाणां धुरन्धरे । आजम्मुरषय: सिद्धा नारदप्रमुखा नूप
vaiśampāyana uvāca | śaratālpagate bhīṣme kauravāṇāṃ dhurandhare | ājagmur ṛṣayaḥ siddhā nāradapramukhā nṛpa ||
वैशंपायन म्हणाले—नरेश्वर! कौरवांचा भार वाहणारे भीष्म शरतल्पावर पडले असता, तेथे नारदप्रमुख सिद्ध महर्षीही येऊन पोहोचले.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse establishes the ethical setting for Bhīṣma’s forthcoming discourse: dharma is to be learned in the presence of realized sages, and guidance for rulers gains weight when affirmed by spiritual authorities like Nārada and the siddha-ṛṣis.
Bhīṣma lies on the bed of arrows after the war; at that moment, Nārada and other perfected sages arrive, signaling that an important, dharma-centered instruction is about to unfold.