Anushasana Parva Adhyaya 173 Shloka 38 - Mahabharata | German | Vedapath

Vyasa

Shloka 38

Devanagari script

वासुदेवो हिरण्यात्मा पुरुष: सविता विराट । जीवभूतो<नुरूपस्त्वं परमात्मा सनातन:,आप वासुदेव, हिरण्यात्मा, पुरुष, सविता, विराट, अनुरूप, जीवात्मा और सनातन परमात्मा हैं

Transliteration

vāsudevo hiraṇyātmā puruṣaḥ savitā virāṭ | jīvabhūto 'nurūpas tvaṃ paramātmā sanātanaḥ ||

Translation

Bhīṣma sprach: „Du bist Vāsudeva — der Goldbeseelte; du bist Puruṣa, die kosmische Person; Savitṛ, die lebenspendende Sonne; und Virāṭ, die allumfassende Gestalt des Alls. Du bist das Lebensprinzip, das den Wesen gemäß ihrer Natur innewohnt, und zugleich bist du der ewige Paramātman, das höchste Selbst.“

Word by Word

वासुदेवःVasudeva (Krishna)

हिरण्यात्माone whose self is golden (radiant-souled)

पुरुषःthe Person (Supreme Being)

सविताthe Sun (Savitar)

विराट्the Cosmic Form (Virat)

जीवभूतःbecome the living being; as the individual soul

अनुरूपःcorresponding; in accordance (with all forms)

त्वम्you

परमात्माthe Supreme Self

सनातनःeternal

Speaker

भीष्म उवाच

Characters & Entities

Bhīṣma

Vāsudeva (Kṛṣṇa)

Puruṣa

Savitṛ

Virāṭ

Jīva (jīvātman)

Paramātman

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse teaches a comprehensive vision of divinity: Kṛṣṇa is both the cosmic source (Puruṣa, Virāṭ, Paramātman) and the inner life in all beings (jīvabhūta), appearing in forms suited to each creature (anurūpa). Devotion is thus aligned with recognizing the one reality present as both the universe and the indwelling Self.

What is happening in the narrative?

In Anuśāsana Parva, Bhīṣma is instructing and extolling sacred truths; here he offers a stuti identifying Vāsudeva with major Vedic-cosmic principles (Savitṛ, Puruṣa, Virāṭ) and with the inner Self, elevating Kṛṣṇa’s status as the eternal Supreme.