Shloka 40
धर्मस्य बहुद्वारत्वम् — Nārada’s Audience with Indra (Śānti-parva 340)
यो वासुदेवो भगवान क्षेत्रज्ञो निर्गुणात्मकः । ज्ञेय: स एव राजेन्द्र जीव: संकर्षण: प्रभु:,'राजेन्द्र! जो भगवान् वासुदेव क्षेत्रज्ञस्वरूप एवं निर्गुणरूपसे जाननेयोग्य बताये गये हैं, वे ही प्रभावशाली संकर्षणरूप जीवात्मा हैं। संकर्षणसे प्रद्युम्नका प्रादुर्भाव हुआ है, जो मनोमय कहलाते हैं। प्रद्युम्मसे जो अनिरुद्ध प्रकट हुए हैं, वे ही अहंकार और ईश्वर हैं
yo vāsudevo bhagavān kṣetrajño nirguṇātmakaḥ | jñeyaḥ sa eva rājendra jīvaḥ saṅkarṣaṇaḥ prabhuḥ ||
Bhīṣma said: “O king, that very Blessed Lord Vāsudeva—known as the Knower of the Field (kṣetrajña), the inner witness, and as beyond the guṇas—is to be understood as the sovereign Saṅkarṣaṇa, the living self (jīva), the Lord.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse identifies the supreme Lord Vāsudeva as the inner witness (kṣetrajña) beyond the guṇas, and states that the same reality is to be understood—within this theological framework—as Saṅkarṣaṇa, the principle spoken of as the jīva. It emphasizes unity of the divine ground of consciousness with the indwelling knower.
In Śānti Parva, Bhīṣma instructs King Yudhiṣṭhira on dharma and higher knowledge. Here he turns to a doctrinal explanation of Vāsudeva’s nature, presenting a metaphysical identification meant to guide the king toward contemplative understanding of the self and the Lord.