Shloka 28
Adhyāya 69: Strategic duels under Bhīṣma’s command
Virāṭa–Bhīṣma; Arjuna–Aśvatthāmā; Bhīma–Duryodhana; Abhimanyu–Lakṣmaṇa
एतमर्थ च विज्ञाय श्रुत्वा च प्रभुमव्ययम् वासुदेवं महात्मानं लोकानामीश्चरेश्वरम्
etam arthaṁ ca vijñāya śrutvā ca prabhum avyayam | vāsudevaṁ mahātmānaṁ lokānām īśvareśvaram || (jānāmi bharataśreṣṭha kṛṣṇaṁ nārāyaṇaṁ prabhum) ||
ভীষ্মে ক’লে—হে ভৰতশ্ৰেষ্ঠ! এই অৰ্থ শুনি বুজি, আৰু অব্যয় প্ৰভুৰ বিষয়ে শ্ৰৱণ কৰি, মই মহাত্মা বাসুদেৱ শ্ৰীকৃষ্ণক—লোকসমূহৰ ঈশ্বৰসকলৰো ঈশ্বৰ, সৰ্বলোকাধিপতি, স্বয়ং নাৰায়ণ—বুলি দৃঢ়ভাৱে জানো; এইয়াই মোৰ স্থিৰ সিদ্ধান্ত।
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse asserts Bhīṣma’s theological certainty: Kṛṣṇa (Vāsudeva) is not merely a heroic ally but the imperishable supreme Lord—Nārāyaṇa—who rules over all worlds. Ethically, it frames right judgment in war and dharma as grounded in recognizing the highest divine authority behind events.
In the Bhīṣma Parva war setting, Bhīṣma addresses a Bharata prince and declares that, after hearing and understanding the matter at hand, he knows Kṛṣṇa to be the supreme overlord (īśvareśvara). It functions as a solemn affirmation of Kṛṣṇa’s divine status amid the unfolding conflict.