Shloka 1
Jājali–Tulādhāra-saṃvāda: Yajña, Vṛtti, and Ātma-tīrtha (जाजलि-तुलाधार-संवादः)
युधिष्ठिरने पूछा--पितामह! ये जो असंख्य भूपाल (प्राणशून्य होकर) इस भूतलपर सेनाके बीचमें सो रहे हैं इनकी ओर दृष्टिपात कीजिये। ये महान् बलवान् थे तो भी संज्ञाहीन होकर पड़े हैं
Yudhiṣṭhira uvāca—Pitāmaha, ye 'sakhyā bhūpālāḥ prāṇaśūnyā bhūtvā asmin bhūtale senā-madhye śerate, tān paśya. Ete mahā-bala-balavantaḥ santo 'pi saṃjñā-hīnāḥ patitāḥ.
坚战（Yudhiṣṭhira）说道：“祖父啊，请看这无数诸王，今已失却性命，横陈于大地之上，夹在两军之间。昔日他们雄伟强健，而今却倒卧于此，神识尽失，寂然不动。”
युधिछिर उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse foregrounds the ethical shock of war: worldly power and royal might end in the same lifeless stillness. It sets the stage for Shanti Parva’s inquiry into dharma—how a ruler should understand duty, violence, and responsibility after witnessing the impermanence of strength and status.
After the Kurukshetra war, Yudhishthira addresses Bhishma, calling him ‘Grandfather,’ and points to the battlefield strewn with dead kings. He urges Bhishma to look at them—once formidable warriors, now unconscious and fallen—expressing grief and moral reflection that leads into Bhishma’s teachings.