Shloka 10
Śiva-nāmānukīrtana-prastāvaḥ
Prologue to the praise of Śiva and the Upamanyu testimony
रुद्रभवत्या तु कृष्णेन जगद् व्याप्तं महात्मना । त॑ं प्रसाद्य तदा देवं बदर्या किल भारत
rudrabhavatyā tu kṛṣṇena jagad vyāptaṃ mahātmanā | taṃ prasādya tadā devaṃ badaryā kila bhārata ||
Bhishma said: By that great-souled Krishna—endowed with Rudra’s power—the whole world is pervaded. O Bharata, it is said that in former times, having propitiated that god (Mahadeva) at Badarī, Krishna received from the divine-sighted Lord a state of dearness surpassing all else; thus he became the most beloved in all the worlds.
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse teaches that true greatness and universal influence are grounded in devotion and humility before the divine: Krishna’s pervasion of the world is linked to Rudra’s grace, obtained by sincerely pleasing Mahadeva at Badarī.
Bhishma, instructing the Bharata king (Yudhiṣṭhira), recounts a traditional account: Krishna once worshipped and pleased Mahadeva at Badarī, and from that deity received a special favor—becoming supremely dear across the worlds—thereby explaining Krishna’s extraordinary stature.