Shloka 8
Adhyāya 70: Sātyaki’s Arrow-Display and the Bhūriśravas Engagement; Twilight Withdrawal
एष धर्मक्न धर्मज्ञो वरद: सर्वकामद: । एष कर्ता च कार्य च पूर्वदेव: स्वयम्प्रभु:,ये धर्मज्ञ, वरदाता, सम्पूर्ण कामनाओंको देनेवाले तथा धर्मस्वरूप हैं। ये ही कर्ता, कार्य, आदिदेव तथा स्वयं सर्वसमर्थ हैं
eṣa dharmakṛd dharmajño varadaḥ sarvakāmadāḥ | eṣa kartā ca kāryaṃ ca pūrvadevaḥ svayamprabhuḥ ||
Bhīṣma said: “He is the upholder of dharma and the knower of dharma, the giver of boons and the fulfiller of all rightful desires. He is both the agent and the deed itself—the primordial divine being, self-luminous and sovereign.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse teaches that the highest authority behind righteous conduct is a supreme, self-sufficient divine principle who both knows and establishes dharma, and who also governs outcomes—linking ethical duty with reverence for the ultimate source of order.
Bhīṣma is describing “He” (a revered divine figure in context) using exalted epithets—upholder of dharma, boon-giver, fulfiller of desires, and the primordial lord—thereby framing the surrounding discourse in terms of divine sovereignty and moral order amid the war setting.