Shloka 163
Adhyāya 284: Tapas as a Corrective to Household Attachment
Parāśara’s Instruction
यः: सहस्राण्यनेकानि पुंसामावृत्य दुर्देश: । तिष्ठत्येक: समुद्रान्ते स मे गोप्तास्तु नित्यश:
yaḥ sahasrāṇy anekāni puṁsām āvṛtya durdeśaḥ | tiṣṭhaty ekaḥ samudrānte sa me goptāstu nityaśaḥ ||
قال بهيشما: ليكن ذاك الواحد—الذي يحجب عقول أناس لا يُحصَون فيبقى عسير الإدراك؛ القائم وحده بلا ندّ ولا مثيل؛ والذي يتجلّى حين تبلغ الرغبات منتهاها، كالشاطئ الأقصى للمحيط—حامِيَني على الدوام.
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse presents the Lord as ultimately one and incomparable, yet difficult to grasp because beings are veiled by māyā/ignorance; true clarity arises when desire is brought to an end, and devotion seeks divine protection.
In Śānti Parva, Bhishma instructs on dharma and higher truths; here he utters a devotional invocation, asking the incomprehensible yet singular Lord—revealed when cravings subside—to protect him continually.