Shloka 59
विस्तार: स्थावरस्थाणु: प्रमाणं बीजमव्ययम् । अर्थोडनर्थो महाकोशो महाभोगो महाधन:
vistāraḥ sthāvarasthāṇuḥ pramāṇaṃ bījam avyayam | artho 'nartho mahākośo mahābhogo mahādhanaḥ ||
Bhīṣma said: He is the all-pervading expanse—the abiding support of all that is fixed and unmoving; He is the very standard of knowledge, and the imperishable seed-cause of the world. He is the sought-after good, for He is bliss itself, and yet He is also ‘without need,’ for He is perfectly fulfilled. He is the possessor of the great treasury, the enjoyer of the highest true delight, and the supreme wealth itself.
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse teaches that the ultimate foundation of the world and of all values—knowledge, prosperity, and enjoyment—is the self-sufficient divine reality. Therefore, ethical life should seek lasting good by orienting desire and action toward that imperishable source rather than toward temporary wealth and pleasures.
In Anuśāsana Parva, Bhīṣma instructs on dharma and praises the supreme Lord through a sequence of exalted epithets. Here he continues that praise, describing the Lord as the cosmic support, the standard of knowledge, the imperishable cause, and the true treasury and wealth.