Shloka 28
Adhyāya 69: Strategic duels under Bhīṣma’s command
Virāṭa–Bhīṣma; Arjuna–Aśvatthāmā; Bhīma–Duryodhana; Abhimanyu–Lakṣmaṇa
एतमर्थ च विज्ञाय श्रुत्वा च प्रभुमव्ययम् वासुदेवं महात्मानं लोकानामीश्चरेश्वरम्,(जानामि भरतश्रेष्ठ कृष्णं नारायणं प्रभुम् ।) भरतकुलभूषण! इस विषयको सुन और समझकर मैं वसुदेवनन्दन भगवान् श्रीकृष्णको अविनाशी प्रभु परमात्मा लोकेश्चरेश्वर और सर्वशक्तिमान् नारायण जानता हूँ
etam arthaṁ ca vijñāya śrutvā ca prabhum avyayam | vāsudevaṁ mahātmānaṁ lokānām īśvareśvaram || (jānāmi bharataśreṣṭha kṛṣṇaṁ nārāyaṇaṁ prabhum) ||
Bhīṣma said: “Having understood this purport and having heard of the imperishable Lord, I recognize Vāsudeva—great-souled Kṛṣṇa—as the supreme ruler of rulers, the sovereign Lord of all worlds, indeed Nārāyaṇa Himself. O best of the Bharatas, this is my settled conviction.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse asserts Bhīṣma’s theological certainty: Kṛṣṇa (Vāsudeva) is not merely a heroic ally but the imperishable supreme Lord—Nārāyaṇa—who rules over all worlds. Ethically, it frames right judgment in war and dharma as grounded in recognizing the highest divine authority behind events.
In the Bhīṣma Parva war setting, Bhīṣma addresses a Bharata prince and declares that, after hearing and understanding the matter at hand, he knows Kṛṣṇa to be the supreme overlord (īśvareśvara). It functions as a solemn affirmation of Kṛṣṇa’s divine status amid the unfolding conflict.