Shloka 50
धर्मस्य बहुद्वारत्वम् — Nārada’s Audience with Indra (Śānti-parva 340)
हिरण्यगर्भो लोकादिद्षतुर्वक्त्रो डनिरुक्तग: । ब्रह्मा सनातनो देवो मम बह्नर्थचिन्तक:,“जो सम्पूर्ण जगत्के आदि, चतुर्मुख, अनिर्वचनीय-स्वरूप, हिरण्यगर्भ एवं सनातन देवता हैं, वे ब्रह्मा मेरे बहुत-से कार्योंका चिन्तन करनेवाले हैं
hiraṇyagarbho lokādir caturvaktraḥ aniruktaghaḥ | brahmā sanātano devo mama bahv-artha-cintakaḥ ||
Bhishma said: “Brahmā—Hiraṇyagarbha, the primal source of the worlds, the four-faced one, whose nature is beyond full description, the eternal deity—keeps in mind and deliberates upon my many purposes and undertakings.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse emphasizes reverence for the cosmic order and its source: Brahmā, described with classical epithets, is portrayed as an overseeing intelligence who contemplates and supports the speaker’s many aims—suggesting that human endeavors, especially those tied to dharma, are best aligned with a higher, orderly principle.
In the Śānti Parva’s instruction-setting, Bhīṣma speaks in a reflective, didactic mode and invokes Brahmā with exalted titles, presenting him as the primordial, ineffable creator who considers Bhīṣma’s various intentions and responsibilities—framing the discourse within a divine-cosmic context.