Shloka 24
Durgātitaraṇa—Conduct for Crossing Difficulties (दुर्गातितरणम्)
ईश्वर सर्वभूतानां जगत: प्रभवाप्ययम् । भक्ता नारायणं देवं॑ दुर्गाण्यतितरन्ति ते,जो समस्त प्राणियोंके स्वामी तथा जगत्की उत्पत्ति और प्रलयके हेतुभूत भगवान् नारायणमें भक्तिभाव रखते हैं, वे दुस्तर दुःखोंसे तर जाते हैं
īśvaraḥ sarvabhūtānāṁ jagataḥ prabhavāpyayam | bhaktā nārāyaṇaṁ devaṁ durgāṇy atitaranti te |
Bhishma said: Narayana is the Lord of all beings and the very source from whom the world arises and into whom it dissolves. Those who place devoted faith in that divine Narayana cross beyond even the hardest-to-pass sufferings and dangers.
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse teaches that Narayana is the supreme Lord who is both the origin and dissolution of the cosmos, and that steadfast devotion to him enables one to transcend severe hardships and existential suffering.
In the Shanti Parva’s instruction-setting, Bhishma is advising Yudhishthira on dharma and the means to peace; here he emphasizes devotion to Narayana as a reliable refuge that carries devotees through peril and distress.