Shloka 9
अश्वशिरो-आख्यानम्
Aśvaśiras / Hayaśiras Narrative: Retrieval of the Vedas
कृते युगे महाराज पुरा स्वायम्भुवे<न्तरे । नरो नारायणश्चैव हरि: कृष्ण: स्वयम्भुव:
kṛte yuge mahārāja purā svāyambhuve ’ntare | naro nārāyaṇaś caiva hariḥ kṛṣṇaḥ svayambhuvaḥ ||
Bhīṣma said: “O great king, in the Kṛta Yuga, long ago during the Svāyambhuva Manvantara, the Self-born Lord manifested in four celebrated forms—Nara, Nārāyaṇa, Hari, and Kṛṣṇa. This recalls the primordial appearance of divine embodiments for the establishment and protection of dharma.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse situates dharma within cosmic history: in the earliest age (Kṛta Yuga) the Self-born Lord is remembered as manifesting in revered forms (Nara, Nārāyaṇa, Hari, Kṛṣṇa), implying that divine presence and guidance underpin the establishment and safeguarding of righteousness across epochs.
Bhīṣma, instructing Yudhiṣṭhira in the Śānti Parva, recalls an ancient time-frame (Svāyambhuva Manvantara in Kṛta Yuga) and names four divine manifestations, setting up a broader discourse on sacred history, virtue, and the Lord’s role in sustaining order.