Mahabharata — Anushasana Parva, Shloka 14
भीष्मस्योत्तरायणप्रतीक्षा तथा युधिष्ठिरागमनम् | Bhīṣma’s uttarāyaṇa moment and Yudhiṣṭhira’s arrival
सर्वा: सुखं संश्रिताश्न शरीरे तस्य देवता: । स देव: पुण्डरीकाक्ष: श्रीगर्भ: श्रीसहोषित:
sarvāḥ sukhaṁ saṁśritāś ca śarīre tasya devatāḥ | sa devaḥ puṇḍarīkākṣaḥ śrīgarbhaḥ śrīsahoṣitaḥ ||
All the deities dwell within His body in perfect ease and refuge. That divine Lord, lotus-eyed Puṇḍarīkākṣa, bears Śrī (Lakṣmī) upon His bosom and abides together with Her.
ईश्वर उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse presents the Lord as the all-encompassing refuge in whom all divine powers reside effortlessly, and it highlights His inseparable union with Śrī (Lakṣmī), symbolizing auspiciousness, sovereignty, and the completeness of divinity.
Īśvara describes His own divine nature: all devatās abide within His body, and He is identified by epithets such as ‘lotus-eyed’ and ‘bearer of Śrī,’ emphasizing His supreme status and intimate association with Lakṣmī.