Shloka 2

Bhakti–Akṣara-Upāsanā-Viveka

Devotion to the Personal vs. Contemplation of the Imperishable

Devanagari script

सम्बन्ध-- पहले श्लोकमें भगवान्‌ने जिस विषयपर कहनेकी प्रतिज्ञा की है

Transliteration

na me viduḥ sura-gaṇāḥ prabhavaṁ na maharṣayaḥ | aham ādir hi devānāṁ maharṣīṇāṁ ca sarvaśaḥ ||

Translation

Neither the hosts of gods nor the great seers truly know My origin—My divine manifestation. For in every way I am the first cause: the source from which even the gods and the sages arise.

Word by Word

• न: not
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न

• मे: of me / my
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: अस्मद्
• Form: Gender: —, Case: Genitive, Number: Singular

• विदुः: know
• Type: Verb
• Root: विद्
• Form: Tense: Perfect, Person: 3rd, Number: Plural

• सुरगणाः: hosts of gods
• सुरगणाः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: सुरगण
• Form: Gender: Masculine, Case: Nominative, Number: Plural

• प्रभवम्: origin / coming-into-being
• प्रभवम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्रभव
• Form: Gender: Masculine, Case: Accusative, Number: Singular

• न: nor / not
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न

• महर्षयः: great seers
• महर्षयः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: महर्षि
• Form: Gender: Masculine, Case: Nominative, Number: Plural

• अहम्: I
• अहम्: Karta
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: अस्मद्
• Form: Gender: —, Case: Nominative, Number: Singular

• आदिः: the first cause / origin
• आदिः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: आदि
• Form: Gender: Masculine, Case: Nominative, Number: Singular

• देवानाम्: of the gods
• Type: Noun
• Root: देव
• Form: Gender: Masculine, Case: Genitive, Number: Plural

• महर्षीणाम्: of the great seers
• Type: Noun
• Root: महर्षि
• Form: Gender: Masculine, Case: Genitive, Number: Plural

• च: and
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च

• सर्वशः: in every way / entirely
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: सर्वशः

Speaker

अजुन उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Bhagavan (the Supreme Lord, speaker in context)
• sura-gaṇa (hosts of gods)
• maharṣi (great seers)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The Supreme Lord declares that even gods and great sages do not fully comprehend His origin, because He is the ultimate source of them all. The teaching emphasizes the limits of created beings’ knowledge and grounds spiritual understanding in reverence, humility, and devotion to the highest cause.

What is happening in the narrative?

In Bhīṣma Parva, as the discourse unfolds, the Lord begins describing His own supreme nature and manifestations. This verse establishes His transcendence over the cosmic order by stating that devas and maharṣis cannot fully know His beginning, since they themselves arise from Him.