Shloka 7
Gālava’s Eastern Ascent with Garuḍa; Counsel on Kāla and Upāya (उद्योगपर्व, अध्याय ११०)
अत्र विष्णु: सहस्राक्ष: सहस्नरचरणोडव्यय: । सहस्रशिरस: श्रीमानेक: पश्यति मायया
atra viṣṇuḥ sahasrākṣaḥ sahasracaraṇo 'vyayaḥ | sahasraśirāḥ śrīmān ekaḥ paśyati māyayā ||
Here is Viṣṇu—of a thousand eyes, a thousand feet, imperishable; thousand-headed, radiant, and yet one. By his divine power (māyā) he beholds and governs the manifold world, revealing that behind apparent multiplicity stands a single, enduring Lord whose vision encompasses all.
युपर्ण उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse teaches that the supreme Lord (Viṣṇu) is one and imperishable, yet appears with countless forms and faculties; through māyā he manifests multiplicity while remaining a single, all-seeing reality. Ethically, it encourages humility and trust in a higher order that comprehends and sustains all.
Yuparṇa points to Viṣṇu’s cosmic attributes—many eyes, heads, and feet—to emphasize divine omnipresence and omniscience. The statement functions as a theological affirmation within the Udyoga Parva’s tense pre-war setting, grounding events in the oversight of a supreme power.