Shloka 7
Śiva-nāmānukīrtana-prastāvaḥ
Prologue to the praise of Śiva and the Upamanyu testimony
को हि शक्तो गुणान् वक्तुं देवदेवस्प धीमत: । गर्भजन्मजरायुक्तो मर्त्यों मृत्युसमन्वित:
ko hi śakto guṇān vaktuṁ devadevasya dhīmataḥ | garbhajanmajarāyukto martyo mṛtyusamanvitaḥ ||
قال بهيشما: من من البشر الفانين—المقيّدين بالحمل في الرحم والولادة وهرم الشيخوخة، والمصحوبين لا محالة بالموت—يقدر حقًّا على وصف فضائل ذلك الحكيم، ربِّ الأرباب؟
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Human beings, constrained by the cycle of birth, aging, and death, cannot fully articulate the virtues of the supreme divine; therefore one should approach such praise with humility and reverence, recognizing the limits of human speech and understanding.
Bhīṣma, while instructing on dharma in the Anuśāsana Parva, introduces or continues a eulogy/teaching about the supreme Lord by first acknowledging that a mortal speaker is inherently limited and cannot completely describe the Lord’s qualities.