Shloka 2
Śara-śayyā-sthita-bhīṣma-saṃvāda-prastāvaḥ
The Prelude to Questioning Bhīṣma on the Bed of Arrows
शयाने वीरशयने भीष्मे शान्तनुनन्दने । गाड़ेये पुरुषव्यात्रे पाण्डवै: पर्युपासिते,जनमेजयने पूछा--महामुने! धर्मात्मा, महापराक्रमी, सत्यप्रतिज्ञ, जितात्मा, धर्मसे कभी च्युत न होनेवाले महाभाग शान्तनुनन्दन गड्जाकुमार पुरुषसिंह देवव्रत भीष्म जब वीरशय्यापर सो रहे थे और पाण्डव उनकी सेवामें आकर उपस्थित हो गये थे, उस समय वीर पुरुषोंक उस समागमके अवसरपर, जब कि उभयपक्षकी सम्पूर्ण सेनाएँ मारी जा चुकी थीं, कौन-कौनसी बातें हुईं? यह मुझे बतानेकी कृपा करें
janamejaya uvāca | śayāne vīraśayane bhīṣme śāntanunandane | gāṅgeye puruṣavyāghre pāṇḍavaiḥ paryupāsite ||
Janamejaya disse: “Ó grande sábio, quando Bhīṣma, filho de Śāntanu—nascido do Ganges, tigre entre os homens—jazia sobre o leito heroico de flechas, e os Pāṇḍavas o cercavam em serviço, que conversas ocorreram naquela ocasião solene, depois que os exércitos de ambos os lados foram destruídos? Dize-me, ó grande sábio.”
जनमेजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse frames the ethical setting for Bhīṣma’s instruction: after catastrophic war, dharma is sought not through victory-celebration but through humble inquiry at the feet of a righteous elder. It signals that true guidance on duty, governance, and moral order is to be learned in a mood of repentance, reflection, and service.
Janamejaya asks the sage to recount what was said when Bhīṣma lay on the bed of arrows and the Pāṇḍavas stood by to serve him. The war has ended with the destruction of both armies, and this moment becomes the gateway to Bhīṣma’s extended discourse on dharma in the Śānti Parva.