Mahabharata — Anushasana Parva, Shloka 43
प्रभो! आप ही जिनके परम आश्रय हैं
tvāṃ tu jānāmy ahaṃ devaṃ purāṇam ṛṣisattamam | nareṇa sahita deva badaryā sucirōṣitam ||
Bhīṣma said: “O Lord! You should ever protect those Pāṇḍavas for whom you are the supreme refuge. I told dull-witted Duryodhana: ‘Where Śrī Kṛṣṇa is, there is Dharma; and where Dharma is, victory will be on that side. Therefore, my son Duryodhana, with the aid of Bhagavān Śrī Kṛṣṇa, make peace with the Pāṇḍavas—this is an excellent moment for reconciliation.’ Yet though I spoke thus again and again, that deluded man of meagre understanding did not heed me; after destroying the heroes of the whole earth, he himself at last went into the jaws of Kāla. But I truly know you, O ancient Deva, supreme among seers: you are that primeval sage Nārāyaṇa who, together with Nara, dwelt for a very long time at Badarī (Badarikāśrama).”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Bhishma affirms that Krishna is not merely a political ally but the ancient divine sage Nārāyaṇa; therefore dharma is inseparable from him. Ethical counsel aligned with dharma leads to welfare, while rejecting it out of pride and delusion leads to destruction.
In Anuśāsana Parva, Bhishma speaks to Yudhiṣṭhira and identifies Krishna as the primeval ṛṣi Nārāyaṇa who lived with Nara at Badarī. This recognition frames Bhishma’s earlier warning to Duryodhana—peace with the Pāṇḍavas under Krishna’s guidance was the best course—yet Duryodhana refused and brought about the ruin of kings and his own end.