Shloka 4

Devanagari script

वैशम्पायन उवाच शरतल्पगते भीष्मे कौरवाणां धुरन्धरे । आजम्मुरषय: सिद्धा नारदप्रमुखा नूप,वैशम्पायनजीने कहा--नरेश्वर! कौरवकुलका भार वहन करनेवाले भीष्मजी जब बाणशब्यापर सो रहे थे, उस समय वहाँ नारद आदि सिद्ध महर्षि भी पधारे थे

Transliteration

vaiśampāyana uvāca | śaratālpagate bhīṣme kauravāṇāṃ dhurandhare | ājagmur ṛṣayaḥ siddhā nāradapramukhā nṛpa ||

Translation

Vaiśampāyana berkata: Wahai raja, ketika Bhīṣma—pemikul beban kaum Kaurava—berbaring di atas hamparan anak panah, para resi siddha yang telah sempurna, dipimpin oleh Nārada, turut tiba di sana.

Word by Word

वैशम्पायनःVaiśampāyana

उवाचsaid

शरतल्पगतेwhen (he) had gone to / was lying on the bed of arrows

भीष्मेin/when Bhīṣma (was)

कौरवाणाम्of the Kauravas

धुरन्धरेin/when the burden-bearer (chief supporter)

आजग्मुःcame/arrived

ऋषयःsages

सिद्धाःSiddhas (perfected beings)

नारदप्रमुखाःwith Nārada as the foremost

Speaker

वैशम्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

Vaiśampāyana

Bhīṣma

Kauravas

Nārada

Siddha Ṛṣis

Śara-tālpa (bed of arrows)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

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.

What is happening in the narrative?

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.