SB 1.9.25

सूत उवाच
युधिष्ठिरस्तदाकर्ण्य शयानं शरपञ्जरे ।
अपृच्छद्विविधान्धर्मानृषीणां चानुशृण्वताम् ॥२५॥

sūta uvāca
yudhiṣṭhiras tad ākarṇya
śayānaṁ śara-pañjare
apṛcchad vividhān dharmān
ṛṣīṇāṁ cānuśṛṇvatām

sūtaḥplugin-autotooltip__small plugin-autotooltip_bigsutah

a son (born of Lord Brahmā's mind); a son; as Your son (you wanted a son exactly like Me); her son; his son; one son; son (Baladeva, born of Rohiṇī); son; the soma-yajña; the son (Prahlāda); the son; was the son. uvācaplugin-autotooltip__small plugin-autotooltip_biguvāca

answered; described; explained; he recited; he said; inquired; prayed; replied; said; she said; she spoke; spoke; talked with them.—Śrī Sūta Gosvāmī said; yudhiṣṭhiraḥplugin-autotooltip__small plugin-autotooltip_bigyudhiṣṭhiraḥ

King Yudhiṣṭhira; Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhira; Yudhiṣṭhira.—King Yudhiṣṭhira; tatplugin-autotooltip__small plugin-autotooltip_bigtat

establishment of the statement tat tvam asi.—that; ākarṇyaplugin-autotooltip__small plugin-autotooltip_bigākarṇya

after hearing; by hearing; having heard; hearing; hearing only.—hearing; śayānamplugin-autotooltip__small plugin-autotooltip_bigsayanam

lying down.—lying down; śaraplugin-autotooltip__small plugin-autotooltip_bigsara

solid cream collected over yogurt.-pañjareplugin-autotooltip__small plugin-autotooltip_bigpañjare

in a cage.—on the bed of arrows; apṛcchatplugin-autotooltip__small plugin-autotooltip_bigapṛcchat

asked; he asked; requested.—asked; vividhānplugin-autotooltip__small plugin-autotooltip_bigvividhān

multifarious; various.—multifarious; dharmānplugin-autotooltip__small plugin-autotooltip_bigdharmān

characteristics; duties; occupational duties; religious principles; religious rituals; the duties; the principles of religion.—duties; ṛṣīṇāmplugin-autotooltip__small plugin-autotooltip_bigṛṣīṇām

among the ṛṣis; of great sages, saintly persons, or Vaiṣṇavas; of great saintly persons; of the ṛṣis; of the great ṛṣis; of the great sages; of the sages; of the teachers; to the sages.—of the ṛṣis; caplugin-autotooltip__small plugin-autotooltip_bigca

ca; all these; also; also other bodily forms; also that I have not been able to ask; and (the five gross material elements and the ten acting and knowledge-gathering senses); and; and also; and Devahūti; and for all; and the paraphernalia; as also; as much as; as well; as well as; but; certainly; either; however; indeed; only; or; over and above; respectively; the word ca; this word ca; thus; totally; unlimitedly; verily.—and; anuśṛṇvatāmplugin-autotooltip__small plugin-autotooltip_biganuśṛṇvatām

hearing after.—hearing after. ¶

Sūta Gosvāmī said: Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhira, after hearing Bhīṣmadeva speak in that appealing tone, asked him, in the presence of all the great ṛṣis, about the essential principles of various religious duties. ¶

Bhīṣmadeva, speaking in that appealing tone, convinced Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhira that he was very soon passing away. And Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhira was inspired by Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa to ask him of the principles of religion. Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa inspired Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhira to ask Bhīṣmadeva in the presence of many great sages, indicating thereby that the Lord’s devotee like Bhīṣmadeva, although apparently living as a worldly man, is far superior to many great sages, even Vyāsadeva. Another point is that Bhīṣmadeva at that time was not only lying on a deathbed of arrows, but was greatly aggrieved because of that state. One should not have asked him any question at that time, but Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa wanted to prove that His pure devotees are always sound in body and mind by dint of spiritual enlightenment, and thus in any circumstances a devotee of the Lord is in perfect order to speak of the right way of life. Yudhiṣṭhira also preferred to solve his problematic questions by asking Bhīṣmadeva rather than ask anyone else present there who was seemingly more learned than Bhīṣmadeva. This is all due to the arrangement of the great wheel-carrier Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa, who establishes the glories of His devotee. The father likes to see the son become more famous than himself. The Lord declares very emphatically that worship of His devotee is more valuable than the worship of the Lord Himself. ¶