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,वैशम्पायनजीने कहा--नरेश्वर! कौरवकुलका भार वहन करनेवाले भीष्मजी जब बाणशब्यापर सो रहे थे, उस समय वहाँ नारद आदि सिद्ध महर्षि भी पधारे थे
vaiśampāyana uvāca | śaratālpagate bhīṣme kauravāṇāṃ dhurandhare | ājagmur ṛṣayaḥ siddhā nāradapramukhā nṛpa ||
Vaiśampāyana disse: Ó rei, quando Bhīṣma—o firme sustentáculo do fardo dos Kauravas—jazia sobre seu leito de flechas, chegaram ali os rishis perfeitos (siddha-ṛṣis), liderados por Nārada.
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.