Shloka 15
Śara-śayyā-sthita-bhīṣma-saṃvāda-prastāvaḥ
The Prelude to Questioning Bhīṣma on the Bed of Arrows
वायुदेव उवाच कच्चित् सुखेन रजनी व्युष्टा ते राजसत्तम । विस्पष्टलक्षणा बुद्धि: कच्चिच्चोपस्थिता तव
Vāyudeva uvāca: kaccit sukhena rajanī vyuṣṭā te rājasattama? vispaṣṭa-lakṣaṇā buddhiḥ kaccic copasthitā tava?
Vāyudeva berkata: “Wahai raja yang terbaik, adakah malam itu berlalu dengan selesa bagimu? Dan adakah kecerdasan yang jernih lagi tajam—yang dengannya segala perkara yang dapat diketahui terlihat dengan nyata—kini telah bangkit dalam dirimu?”
वायुदेव उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse foregrounds the ethical prerequisite for dharma-instruction: physical ease and mental clarity. Right counsel and right action depend on a lucid buddhi (discernment) that can perceive matters distinctly, not on agitation or fatigue.
A divine speaker, Vāyudeva, addresses the ‘best of kings’ (in this context, Bhīṣma) with solicitude, asking whether he rested well and whether clear discernment has arisen—preparing the ground for further instruction and discussion of dharma.