Mahabharata — Anushasana Parva, Shloka 14
स विश्वकर्मा स हि विश्वरूप: स विश्वभुग् विश्वसृग् विश्वजिच्च । स शूलभृच्छोणित भृत् कराल- स््तं कर्मभिविंदितं वै स्तुवन्ति
sa viśvakarmā sa hi viśvarūpaḥ sa viśvabhug viśvasṛg viśvajic ca | sa śūlabhṛc choṇitabhṛt karālas taṃ karmabhir vinditaṃ vai stuvanti ||
Bhīṣma said: He is Viśvakarmā, the cosmic artisan; indeed he is the one of universal form. He is the enjoyer of the universe, the creator of the universe, and the conqueror of the universe. He bears the trident and, holding a skull-cup filled with blood, assumes a fearsome aspect. Renowned in the world through his manifold deeds, that very Śrī Kṛṣṇa is the one whom all people praise.
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The core teaching is that the supreme reality (here identified with Śrī Kṛṣṇa) encompasses all functions—creation, enjoyment/sustenance, and conquest—and may manifest both benevolent and fearsome forms. Ethical devotion (bhakti) is presented as discerning this comprehensive divine agency behind the world’s order and events.
In Anuśāsana Parva, Bhīṣma is instructing Yudhiṣṭhira through hymnic praise and theological exposition. In this verse he extols Kṛṣṇa with cosmic titles (Viśvakarmā, Viśvarūpa, etc.) and describes a terrifying iconographic aspect (trident and blood-filled skull-cup), emphasizing Kṛṣṇa’s fame and the universal praise directed toward him.