Mahabharata — Anushasana Parva, Shloka 8
भीष्मस्योत्तरायणप्रतीक्षा तथा युधिष्ठिरागमनम् | Bhīṣma’s uttarāyaṇa moment and Yudhiṣṭhira’s arrival
परमात्मा हृषीकेश: सर्वव्यापी महेश्वर: । न तस्मात् परमं भूतं त्रिषु लोकेषु किंचन,वे ही परमात्मा, इन्द्रियोंके प्रेरक और सर्वव्यापी महेश्वर हैं। तीनों लोकोंमें उनसे बढ़कर दूसरा कोई नहीं है
paramātmā hṛṣīkeśaḥ sarvavyāpī maheśvaraḥ | na tasmāt paramaṃ bhūtaṃ triṣu lokeṣu kiṃcana ||
The Lord declares: “The Supreme Self is Hṛṣīkeśa, the inner ruler of the senses, all-pervading and the Great Lord. In the three worlds there exists nothing whatsoever higher than Him.” Ethically, the verse grounds dharma in a single highest reality: moral order and spiritual discipline find their ultimate reference in the supreme, all-pervading Lord who directs the faculties of living beings.
ईश्वर उवाच
Educational Q&A
That the Supreme Self—identified as Hṛṣīkeśa and Maheśvara—is all-pervading and unsurpassed; therefore, ultimate authority for dharma and spiritual life rests in the highest Lord beyond whom nothing exists.
Īśvara speaks in a declarative, doctrinal mode, affirming His supreme status and cosmic pervasiveness, establishing a theological foundation for subsequent ethical or devotional instruction.