Mahabharata — Anushasana Parva, Shloka 60
भीष्मस्योत्तरायणप्रतीक्षा तथा युधिष्ठिरागमनम् | Bhīṣma’s uttarāyaṇa moment and Yudhiṣṭhira’s arrival
य एव विष्णु: सो5नन्तो भगवान् वसुधाधर: । यो राम: स हृषीकेशो यो5च्युत: स धराधर:
ya eva viṣṇuḥ so 'nanto bhagavān vasudhādharaḥ | yo rāmaḥ sa hṛṣīkeśo yo 'cyutaḥ sa dharādharaḥ ||
He who is Viṣṇu is that very Lord Ananta, the bearer of the earth. He who is Rāma (Balarāma) is that very Hṛṣīkeśa (Kṛṣṇa), and he who is Acyuta (Kṛṣṇa) is that very bearer of the earth (Balarāma).
ईश्वर उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse teaches the essential unity of divine manifestations: Viṣṇu and Ananta are not separate, and Balarāma and Kṛṣṇa (Hṛṣīkeśa/Acyuta) are mutually identified. Ethically, it encourages non-sectarian devotion and steadiness in faith by seeing one sustaining Lord behind multiple revered names.
Īśvara speaks to clarify theological identity: the cosmic supporter (Ananta, bearer of the earth) and Viṣṇu are one, and the two brothers Balarāma and Kṛṣṇa are presented as the same divine reality under different epithets, reinforcing their divine status and interconnected roles.