Shloka 3

Devanagari script

दानवश्रेष्ठ जिनका मस्तक और स्थान भी अनन्त है, उन भगवान्‌ विष्णुका उत्तम माहात्म्य मैं तुम्हें बताऊँगा ।। तयो: संवदतोरेवमाजगाम महामुनि: । सनत्कुमारो धर्मात्मा संशयच्छेदनाय वै,शुक्राचार्य और वृत्रासुरमें ये बातें हो ही रही थीं कि वहाँ महामुनि धर्मात्मा सनत्कुमार उनके संशयका निवारण करनेके लिये आ पहुँचे

Transliteration

bhīṣma uvāca | dānavśreṣṭha yasyā mastakaṁ ca sthānaṁ cānantam, tasya bhagavato viṣṇor uttamaṁ māhātmyaṁ te 'haṁ vakṣyāmi || tayoḥ saṁvadator evam ājagāma mahāmuniḥ | sanatkumāro dharmātmā saṁśaya-cchedanāya vai ||

Translation

Bhīṣma said: “O foremost among the Dānavas, I shall tell you the supreme greatness of Lord Viṣṇu—He whose head and abode are without end. While Śukrācārya and Vṛtrāsura were thus conversing, the great sage Sanatkumāra, righteous in spirit, arrived there in order to cut through their doubt.”

Word by Word

• {'bhīṣma uvāca': 'Bhishma said', 'dānava-śreṣṭha': 'best among the Danavas (a leading asura)', 'mastaka': 'head

• summit', 'sthāna': 'place

• station', 'ananta': 'endless

• infinite', 'bhagavat': 'the Blessed Lord

• venerable deity', 'viṣṇu': 'Vishnu', 'uttama': 'supreme

• excellent', 'māhātmya': 'greatness

• sacred glory', 'tayoḥ': 'of the two (of them)', 'saṁvadatoḥ': 'while conversing

• of two who are speaking', 'evam': 'thus', 'ājagāma': 'came

• arrived', 'mahāmuni': 'great sage', 'sanatkumāra': 'Sanatkumara (eternal sage)', 'dharmātmā': 'righteous-souled

• devoted to dharma', 'saṁśaya': 'doubt

• uncertainty', 'cchedana': 'cutting

• removal', 'vai': 'indeed

Speaker

भीष्म उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Bhishma
• Vishnu
• Sanatkumara
• Shukracharya
• Vritrasura
• Danavas

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse frames Vishnu as infinite in nature and emphasizes that spiritual and ethical doubts should be resolved through the guidance of a dharmic sage—knowledge that dispels uncertainty is itself a support of dharma.

What is happening in the narrative?

Bhishma announces he will describe Vishnu’s supreme glory. In the embedded story, as Shukracharya and Vritrasura are in discussion, the sage Sanatkumara arrives specifically to resolve their doubts.