Mahabharata — Anushasana Parva, Shloka 18
अब्रवीद् भरतश्रेष्ठ धर्मराजो युधिष्ठिर: । भ्रातृभि: सह कौरव्य: शयानं निम्नगासुतम्
vaiśampāyana uvāca | abravīd bharataśreṣṭha dharmarājo yudhiṣṭhiraḥ | bhrātṛbhiḥ saha kauravyaḥ śayānaṃ nimnagāsutam || tad-anantaraṃ kuru-nandanaḥ dharma-putraḥ dharmarājaḥ yudhiṣṭhiraḥ brahmaṇā iva samāna-tejasvī ṛtvigbhiḥ bhrātṛbhiḥ tathā ṛṣibhiḥ parivṛtaḥ bāṇa-śayyāyāṃ śayānaṃ bharataśreṣṭhaṃ gaṅgāputraṃ bhīṣmaṃ bhrātṛbhiḥ saha evaṃ uvāca ||
毗湿摩波耶那说：于是，坚战（Yudhiṣṭhira）——正法之王、婆罗多族之最杰者——开口说道。被诸弟、祭司与仙圣环绕，光辉如梵天；这位库鲁之喜、达摩之子，走近卧于箭床之上的毗湿摩——恒河之子——并以如下言辞对他说道。
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse sets the ethical frame for the discourse: rightful rule and personal conduct (dharma) must be learned humbly from authoritative elders and sages, especially after the devastation of war. Yudhiṣṭhira’s approach to Bhīṣma signals that victory is incomplete without moral clarification and guidance.
After the war, Yudhiṣṭhira—attended by his brothers, priests, and sages—goes to Bhīṣma, who lies on an arrow-bed, and begins to address him. This introduces Bhīṣma’s extended instruction on dharma in the Anuśāsana Parva.