Mahabharata — Anushasana Parva, Shloka 11
भीष्मस्योत्तरायणप्रतीक्षा तथा युधिष्ठिरागमनम् | Bhīṣma’s uttarāyaṇa moment and Yudhiṣṭhira’s arrival
भुवने देवकार्याणि कर्तु नायकवर्जिता: । नायक: सर्वभूतानां सर्वदेवनमस्कृत:
bhuvane devakāryāṇi kartuṃ nāyakavarjitāḥ | nāyakaḥ sarvabhūtānāṃ sarvadevanamaskṛtaḥ ||
In the world, without a guiding leader, even the gods cannot accomplish their divine tasks. Therefore the supreme Leader of all beings—reverenced by all the gods—is the one before whom they bow in homage.
ईश्वर उवाच
Educational Q&A
All effective action—even divine administration—requires a supreme guiding principle. The verse teaches that the highest leader of all beings is worthy of universal reverence, and that devotion follows recognition of that sustaining authority.
Īśvara speaks, asserting that the gods cannot fulfill their functions without a leader, and identifying the supreme leader of all beings—revered by all gods—as the one to whom they bow (understood in the received tradition as pointing to the Lord, often identified with Śrī Kṛṣṇa).