Śara-śayyā-sthita-bhīṣma-saṃvāda-prastāvaḥ
The Prelude to Questioning Bhīṣma on the Bed of Arrows
प्रव्याहर यदुश्रेष्ठ त्वमग्रे मधुसूदन । त्वं हि नस्तात सर्वेषां सर्वधर्मविदुत्तम:
vaiśampāyana uvāca |
pravyāhara yaduśreṣṭha tvam agre madhusūdana |
tvaṃ hi nas tāta sarveṣāṃ sarvadharmavid uttamaḥ ||
他又对奎师那说道:“摩杜苏陀那啊,雅度族之最胜者,请你先开口,开启此番论议。你于我等众人,实为通晓一切法之至上智者。”
वैशम्पायन उवाच
The verse establishes Kṛṣṇa as the foremost authority on dharma and models a key ethical posture: when guidance is needed, the community invites the most discerning knower of duty and righteousness to speak first, so that deliberation begins from a sound moral foundation.
In the framing narration attributed to Vaiśampāyana, the speakers urge Śrī Kṛṣṇa—addressed by honorific epithets—to initiate the conversation. The request signals deference and sets the stage for a dharma-centered discourse in the Śānti Parva.