Shloka 5
Śara-śayyā-sthita-bhīṣma-saṃvāda-prastāvaḥ
The Prelude to Questioning Bhīṣma on the Bed of Arrows
हतशिष्टाश्न॒ राजानो युधिष्ठिरपुरोगमा: । धृतराष्ट्रश्न कृष्णश्न भीमार्जुनयमास्तथा
Vaiśampāyana uvāca: hataśiṣṭāś ca rājāno yudhiṣṭhirapurogamāḥ | dhṛtarāṣṭraś ca kṛṣṇaś ca bhīmārjunayamās tathā ||
毗湿摩波罗衍那说：那场屠戮之后幸存的诸王——以坚战（Yudhiṣṭhira）为首——同持国（Dhṛtarāṣṭra）与黑天（Kṛṣṇa），以及怖军（Bhīma）、阿周那（Arjuna）和孪生兄弟那俱罗、萨诃提婆（Nakula、Sahadeva）一道，战后尽为悲恸所压。众人前往婆罗多族的祖父毗湿摩（Bhīṣma）处，只见他如同灿然日轮被拽落尘土，倒卧于地；他们一次又一次在他面前倾诉哀伤——在浩劫余烬中求取劝诫与对法（dharma）的明辨。
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse frames the ethical aftermath of war: even the victors and survivors are burdened by grief and seek guidance from a revered elder (Bhīṣma). It prepares the ground for Śānti Parva’s dharma-instruction—how rulers should restore order, restrain vengeance, and pursue righteous governance after catastrophic violence.
After the Kurukṣetra war, the surviving leaders—headed by Yudhiṣṭhira and including Dhṛtarāṣṭra, Kṛṣṇa, and the Pāṇḍavas—approach Bhīṣma, who lies fallen and near death. They repeatedly express their sorrow to him, setting up Bhīṣma’s forthcoming teachings on dharma, statecraft, and peace.