Shloka 50
धर्मस्य बहुद्वारत्वम् — Nārada’s Audience with Indra (Śānti-parva 340)
हिरण्यगर्भो लोकादिद्षतुर्वक्त्रो डनिरुक्तग: । ब्रह्मा सनातनो देवो मम बह्नर्थचिन्तक:,“जो सम्पूर्ण जगत्के आदि, चतुर्मुख, अनिर्वचनीय-स्वरूप, हिरण्यगर्भ एवं सनातन देवता हैं, वे ब्रह्मा मेरे बहुत-से कार्योंका चिन्तन करनेवाले हैं
hiraṇyagarbho lokādir caturvaktraḥ aniruktaghaḥ | brahmā sanātano devo mama bahv-artha-cintakaḥ ||
Bhishma sprach: „Brahmā —Hiraṇyagarbha, der uranfängliche Ursprung der Welten, der Viergesichtige, dessen Wesen sich nicht völlig aussprechen lässt, die ewige Gottheit— behält meine vielen Vorhaben und Werke im Sinn und erwägt sie.“
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse emphasizes reverence for the cosmic order and its source: Brahmā, described with classical epithets, is portrayed as an overseeing intelligence who contemplates and supports the speaker’s many aims—suggesting that human endeavors, especially those tied to dharma, are best aligned with a higher, orderly principle.
In the Śānti Parva’s instruction-setting, Bhīṣma speaks in a reflective, didactic mode and invokes Brahmā with exalted titles, presenting him as the primordial, ineffable creator who considers Bhīṣma’s various intentions and responsibilities—framing the discourse within a divine-cosmic context.