Shloka 27
अग्निहोत्रमुखा वेदा गायत्री छन्दसां मुखम् । राजा मुखं मनुष्याणां नदीनां सागरो मुखम्,सूर्य, चन्द्रमा, नक्षत्र, ग्रह, दिशा और विदिशा सब उन्हींमें स्थित हैं। जैसे वेदोंमें अनिनिहोत्रकर्म, हन््दोंमें गायत्री, मनुष्योंमें राजा, नदियों (जलाशयों)-में समुद्र, नक्षत्रोंमें चन्द्रमा, तेजोमय पदार्थोंमें सूर्य, पर्वतोंमें मेरु और पक्षियोंमें गरुड श्रेष्ठ हैं, उसी प्रकार देवलोकसहित सम्पूर्ण लोकोंमें ऊपर-नीचे, दायें-बायें, जितने भी जगत्के आश्रय हैं, उन सबमें भगवान् श्रीकृष्ण ही श्रेष्ठ हैं
agnihotramukhā vedā gāyatrī chandasāṃ mukham | rājā mukhaṃ manuṣyāṇāṃ nadīnāṃ sāgaro mukham | sūryaś candramā nakṣatrāṇi grahā diśaś ca vidiśaś ca sarvaṃ teṣu pratiṣṭhitam | yathā vedeṣu agnihotram, chandaḥsu gāyatrī, manuṣyeṣu rājā, nadīṣu sāgaraḥ, nakṣatreṣu candramāḥ, tejasviṣu sūryaḥ, parvateṣu meruḥ, pakṣiṣu garuḍaḥ śreṣṭhaḥ, tathā devalokasahiteṣu sarvalokeṣu ūrdhva-adhaḥ dakṣiṇa-vāma yāvat jagadāśrayāḥ santi teṣu sarveṣu bhagavān śrīkṛṣṇa eva śreṣṭhaḥ |
Bhīṣma said: “The Vedas have the Agnihotra as their foremost rite; among metres, Gāyatrī is foremost. Among men, the king is the chief; among rivers and waters, the ocean is the chief. The sun, the moon, the constellations, the planets, the directions and the intermediate directions—all are established within that cosmic order. Just as Agnihotra among Vedic acts, Gāyatrī among metres, the king among humans, the ocean among waters, the moon among the stars, the sun among luminous beings, Meru among mountains, and Garuḍa among birds are regarded as supreme—so too, in all worlds together with the realm of the gods, in every support of the universe in all orientations, Bhagavān Śrī Kṛṣṇa alone is the supreme.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse uses a chain of ‘foremost among’ examples (Agnihotra, Gāyatrī, king, ocean, moon, sun, Meru, Garuḍa) to argue that just as every domain has a recognized pinnacle, the ultimate pinnacle and support across all realms—including the gods’ realm—is Śrī Kṛṣṇa.
Bhīṣma is speaking and offers a theological-stuti style statement: he frames the cosmos and its recognized hierarchies to culminate in the declaration of Kṛṣṇa’s supremacy, reinforcing reverence and the idea of a single highest refuge behind worldly and celestial orders.