Shloka 12
Śānti-parva 206: Guṇa-hetu Moha, Kāma-krodha Chain, Indriya-utpatti, and Nirodha
कालात् स भगवान् विष्णुर्यस्य सर्वमिदं जगत् । नादिरन मध्यं नैवान्तस्तस्य देवस्य विद्यते
kālāt sa bhagavān viṣṇur yasya sarvam idaṃ jagat | nādir na madhyaṃ naivāntas tasya devasya vidyate ||
Bhīṣma sprach: „Aus der Zeit selbst geht der erhabene Herr Viṣṇu hervor, dem dieses ganze Weltall gehört. Von diesem göttlichen Wesen ist weder Anfang noch Mitte noch Ende zu erkennen — er ist jenseits aller Grenzen und Maße.“
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse teaches the transcendence and immeasurability of the Supreme: Viṣṇu is spoken of in relation to Time, yet He ultimately cannot be confined by temporal categories such as beginning, middle, or end. Ethically, it grounds dharma in devotion and humility before an infinite divine order.
In Śānti Parva, Bhīṣma instructs Yudhiṣṭhira on peace, dharma, and right understanding after the war. Here he turns to a theological reflection, praising Viṣṇu as the all-encompassing Lord whose nature surpasses temporal and conceptual limits.