Shloka 18
Adhyāya 70: Sātyaki’s Arrow-Display and the Bhūriśravas Engagement; Twilight Withdrawal
परं हि पुण्डरीकाक्षान्न भूतं न भविष्यति । मुखत: सो5सृजद् विप्रान् बाहुभ्यां क्षत्रियांस्तथा
paraṁ hi puṇḍarīkākṣān na bhūtaṁ na bhaviṣyati | mukhataḥ so 'sṛjad viprān bāhubhyāṁ kṣatriyāṁs tathā ||
Bhishma said: “Indeed, none has existed before, nor will any exist in the future, who surpasses Puṇḍarīkākṣa (the Lotus-eyed Lord). From his mouth he brought forth the brāhmaṇas, and likewise from his arms he produced the kṣatriyas.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse asserts the unsurpassed supremacy of Puṇḍarīkākṣa (Viṣṇu/Nārāyaṇa) and links social order to a sacred origin: brāhmaṇas arise from the mouth (speech, learning, ritual authority) and kṣatriyas from the arms (strength, protection, governance), grounding dharma in a cosmic hierarchy.
Bhīṣma is speaking and praising Puṇḍarīkākṣa as incomparable across time. He then describes a creation motif in which the Lord brings forth the brāhmaṇa and kṣatriya orders from different parts of his body, emphasizing their distinct functions and divine sanction.