Mahabharata — Anushasana Parva, Shloka 7
भीष्मस्योत्तरायणप्रतीक्षा तथा युधिष्ठिरागमनम् | Bhīṣma’s uttarāyaṇa moment and Yudhiṣṭhira’s arrival
स हि देववर: साक्षाद् देवनाथ: परंतप: । सर्वज्ञ: सर्वसंश्लिष्ट: सर्वग: सर्वतोमुख:
sa hi devavaraḥ sākṣād devanāthaḥ paraṃtapaḥ | sarvajñaḥ sarvasaṃśliṣṭaḥ sarvagaḥ sarvatomukhaḥ ||
He is indeed the foremost among the gods—manifest in person as their Lord and protector—one who scorches the foes of righteousness. Omniscient, pervading and intimately present in all beings, moving everywhere and facing in every direction, he is described as the all-encompassing divine reality worthy of reverence and refuge.
ईश्वर उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse teaches a devotional and ethical vision of the Supreme: the Lord is not distant but directly present, all-knowing and all-pervading. Recognizing such a deity supports dharma by grounding reverence, accountability, and refuge in a power that sees and sustains all.
In a didactic passage framed as divine speech (Īśvara speaking), the text praises and defines the supreme deity through epithets—lord of the gods, protector, enemy-scorcher, omniscient, and omnipresent—establishing the object of worship and the theological basis for the instruction that follows.