Shloka 55
कीर्तितं परम॑ ब्रह्म सर्वश्रुतिपरायणम् | मड्ूल्यं सर्वभूतानां पवित्र बहुकीर्तितम्
bhīṣma uvāca | kīrtitaṁ paramaṁ brahma sarvaśrutiparāyaṇam | mūlyaṁ sarvabhūtānāṁ pavitraṁ bahukīrtitam |
Bhishma said: The Supreme Brahman—upheld as the final purport of all the Vedas—has been proclaimed. It is the true worth of all beings, a purifier praised again and again. The repeated chanting and remembrance of the Supreme Self, together with the reverent recitation of the names of the gods, seers, and righteous kings who ruled the earth, is declared auspicious for all creatures. By such continual praise, ailments are said to be dispelled and one’s actions gain their best strengthening. Therefore, O Bharata, a person should daily—morning and evening—with a purified mind, perform the Lord’s praise and also recite the names of those gods, sages, and royal exemplars.
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Bhishma teaches that repeated glorification and remembrance of the Supreme Brahman—understood as the Vedic culmination—is profoundly purifying and auspicious for all beings. He also commends honoring the divine, the seers, and exemplary kings through recitation, as a daily discipline that strengthens one’s conduct and dispels afflictions.
In the Anushasana Parva’s instruction section, Bhishma continues advising Yudhishthira (addressed as Bharata) on righteous practice. Here he emphasizes a regimen of morning-and-evening devotional recitation: praising the Supreme and remembering revered devas, rishis, and righteous rulers as ethical-spiritual exemplars.