Shloka 14
Śrī–Indra–Bali Saṃvāda: The Departure and Fourfold Placement of Lakṣmī
यत् तदेकाक्षरं ब्रह्म नानारूपं प्रदृश्यते । आसुरिर्मण्डले तस्मिन् प्रतिपेदे तदव्ययम्,जो एकमात्र अक्षर और अविनाशी ब्रह्म नाना रूपोंमें दिखायी देता है, उसका ज्ञान आसुरिने उस मुनिमण्डलीमें प्रतिपादित किया
yat tad ekākṣaraṃ brahma nānārūpaṃ pradṛśyate | āsurir maṇḍale tasmin pratipede tad avyayam ||
Bhīṣma sagte: „Jenes unvergängliche Brahman — eins und unteilbar, als ‘die eine Silbe’ bezeichnet — wird dennoch als in vielen Gestalten erscheinend gesehen. In jenem Kreis der Weisen legte Āsuri das Verständnis dieser unverwelklichen Wirklichkeit dar und begründete es.“
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse teaches that the ultimate Reality (Brahman) is one, imperishable, and indivisible, yet it is perceived in the world as manifold forms. The many do not negate the One; rather, multiplicity is an appearance or mode of perception of the single immutable principle.
Bhīṣma, instructing on higher dharma and knowledge, recalls a traditional teaching: in an assembly of sages, the teacher Āsuri articulated and established the doctrine of the imperishable, one-syllabled Brahman that appears as many forms.