Shloka 66
उत्तरो गोपतिर्गोप्ता ज्ञानगम्य: पुरातन: । शरीरभूतभूद् भोक्ता कपीन्द्रो भूरिदक्षिण:
uttaro gopatir goptā jñānagamyāḥ purātanaḥ | śarīrabhūtabhūd bhoktā kapīndro bhūridakṣiṇaḥ ||
Bhīṣma said: He is the Supreme Deliverer and the highest refuge; the Lord and protector of the cows, the universal guardian; knowable through true knowledge, and the Ancient One. He sustains the very elements that become the body, He is the Enjoyer of unsurpassed bliss; He is the Lord of the monkeys—Śrī Rāma—and the giver of abundant sacrificial gifts.
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse teaches that the Divine is simultaneously the highest refuge and the active protector of the world: knowable through wisdom, eternal in nature, sustaining embodied life, and exemplifying dharma through protection (especially of the vulnerable, symbolized by cows) and generosity in sacred duty (dakṣiṇā in yajña).
In Anuśāsana Parva, Bhīṣma instructs Yudhiṣṭhira on dharma and praises the Supreme through a sequence of divine names/epithets. This verse strings together titles highlighting protection, metaphysical supremacy, and an avatāra-reference to Śrī Rāma as ‘Lord of the monkeys,’ linking ethical ideals of rulership and sacrifice to devotion.