Shloka 163

Devanagari script

यः: सहस्राण्यनेकानि पुंसामावृत्य दुर्देश: । तिष्ठत्येक: समुद्रान्ते स मे गोप्तास्तु नित्यश:,जो हजारों मनुष्योंपर मायाका परदा डालकर सबके लिये दुर्बोध हो रहे हैं, अद्वितीय हैं तथा समुद्रके समान कामनाओंका अन्त होनेपर प्रकाशमें आते हैं, वे परमेश्वर नित्य मेरी रक्षा करें

Transliteration

yaḥ sahasrāṇy anekāni puṁsām āvṛtya durdeśaḥ | tiṣṭhaty ekaḥ samudrānte sa me goptāstu nityaśaḥ ||

Translation

Bhishma says: May that One—who, by veiling the minds of countless people, remains hard to comprehend; who stands alone and unrivalled; and who becomes manifest when desires reach their end, like the ocean’s far shore—ever be my protector.

Word by Word

यःwho

सहस्राणिthousands

अनेकानिmany

पुंसाम्of men

आवृत्यhaving covered/veiled

दुर्देशःhard to know/understand (lit. difficult to point out)

तिष्ठतिstands/remains

एकःone, alone, unique

समुद्रान्तेat the ocean's end / on the shore

सःhe

मेmy/of me

गोप्ताprotector

अस्तुmay (he) be

नित्यशःalways, continually

Speaker

भीष्म उवाच

Characters & Entities

Bhishma

Parameshvara (the One Lord)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Cross References

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse presents the Lord as ultimately one and incomparable, yet difficult to grasp because beings are veiled by māyā/ignorance; true clarity arises when desire is brought to an end, and devotion seeks divine protection.

What is happening in the narrative?

In Śānti Parva, Bhishma instructs on dharma and higher truths; here he utters a devotional invocation, asking the incomprehensible yet singular Lord—revealed when cravings subside—to protect him continually.