Shloka 42
सुभुजो दुर्धरो वाग्मी महेन्द्रो वसुदो वसु: । नैकरूपो बूहद्रूप: शिपिविष्ट: प्रकाशन:
subhujo durdharo vāgmī mahendro vasudo vasuḥ | naikarūpo bṛhadrūpaḥ śipiviṣṭaḥ prakāśanaḥ ||
Bhīṣma said: He is the one with beautiful, protective arms; the One difficult to grasp or sustain even in meditation; the source of Veda-born speech; the supreme Lord even over the lords; the giver of wealth and wealth itself; the One of many forms and also the vast, universal form; present in the sun’s rays; the illuminator who makes all things manifest.
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse teaches that the Divine is simultaneously beyond easy mental grasp (durdharaḥ) and yet present as the very light and revelation within the world (śipiviṣṭaḥ, prakāśanaḥ). Ethical life is supported by this vision: one seeks protection and strength (subhujaḥ), cultivates disciplined contemplation, and aligns with dharma under the ‘Lord of lords’ (mahendraḥ), recognizing prosperity as both gift and sacred trust (vasudaḥ, vasuḥ).
In Anuśāsana Parva, Bhīṣma instructs Yudhiṣṭhira on dharma and extols the highest refuge through a revered hymn of divine names. This verse is one segment of that praise, listing epithets that describe the deity’s power to protect, to grant prosperity, to manifest in countless forms, and to illuminate the cosmos.