Shloka 23
Bhīṣma’s Yogic Departure, Royal Cremation, and Gaṅgā’s Lament (भीष्मस्य योगयुक्त्या देहत्यागः, पितृमेधः, गङ्गाविलापः)
कीर्तिलिक्ष्मीर्धतिश्वैव स्वर्गमार्गस्तथैव च । यत्रैष संस्थितस्तत्र देवो विष्णुस्त्रिविक्रम:,ये त्रिविक्रम विष्णुदेव जहाँ विद्यमान हैं, वहीं कीर्ति, लक्ष्मी, धृति तथा स्वर्गका मार्ग है
kīrti-lakṣmīr dhṛtiś caiva svarga-mārgaḥ tathaiva ca | yatraiṣa saṃsthitas tatra devo viṣṇus trivikramaḥ ||
Bhīṣma said: “Wherever this Lord Viṣṇu, the Trivikrama, is firmly present, there too abide fame and prosperity, steadfastness of mind, and the very path that leads to heaven.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse teaches that where Viṣṇu is truly established—externally through worship and internally through dharmic alignment—there naturally arise auspicious outcomes: honorable reputation (kīrti), prosperity (lakṣmī), inner resolve (dhṛti), and a righteous course leading to heavenly merit (svarga-mārga).
In Anuśāsana Parva, Bhīṣma instructs Yudhiṣṭhira on dharma and religious merit. Here he praises Viṣṇu (as Trivikrama), asserting that the Lord’s presence is the locus of auspicious virtues and the right path, reinforcing devotion as a support for ethical life.