Shloka 16
Śiva-nāmānukīrtana-prastāvaḥ
Prologue to the praise of Śiva and the Upamanyu testimony
एष शक्तो महाबाहुर्वक्तुं भगवतो गुणान् । विभूतिं चैव कार्त्स्न्येन सत्यां माहेश्वरी नूप
eṣa śakto mahābāhur vaktuṁ bhagavato guṇān | vibhūtiṁ caiva kārtsnyena satyāṁ māheśvarīṁ nṛpa, nareśvara |
Bhīṣma said: “O king, lord of men! This mighty-armed one alone is capable of describing, in their entirety, the qualities of the Blessed Lord and His true, Maheśvara-like sovereign power. Such is the greatness of Śrī Kṛṣṇa.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Bhīṣma emphasizes the immeasurable nature of the Lord’s virtues and divine sovereignty, suggesting that only an exceptionally qualified person can describe them fully. The ethical thrust is humility before the divine and reverence for true spiritual authority.
In Bhīṣma’s instruction to the king (Yudhiṣṭhira), he points out that a particular mighty figure is capable of narrating the complete and authentic majesty and qualities of the Supreme—explicitly identifying Śrī Kṛṣṇa as Bhagavān and associating His lordship with Maheśvara-like supremacy.