Shloka 27
सर्वगः सर्वविद्धानुर्विष्वक्सेनो जनार्दन: । वेदो वेदविदव्यज्जी वेदाड़ो वेदवित् कवि:
sarvagaḥ sarvavid dhānur viṣvakseno janārdanaḥ | vedo vedavid avyajī vedāṅgo vedavit kaviḥ ||
Bhīṣma said: He is all-pervading and all-knowing; the wielder of the bow; Viṣvaksena, who routs hostile forces; and Janārdana, to whom devotees appeal for both worldly welfare and the highest good. He is the very Veda, the knower of the Veda; complete and unblemished in fullness; possessed of the Vedas as his limbs; the examiner of the Vedas; and the seer-poet who knows all. In this hymn-like praise, Bhīṣma frames devotion to Nārāyaṇa as the ethical center: the supreme Lord is both the source of sacred knowledge and the refuge who grants right order, prosperity, and liberation.
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse teaches that the supreme Lord (Viṣṇu/Janārdana) is simultaneously the protector in worldly struggle and the very ground of sacred knowledge. Ethical life (dharma) is anchored in devotion to the all-knowing, all-pervading source of the Veda, who grants both abhyudaya (worldly flourishing) and niḥśreyasa (ultimate liberation).
In Anuśāsana Parva, Bhīṣma continues his instruction through praise of Nārāyaṇa/Viṣṇu using a chain of epithets. This functions as a devotional and doctrinal affirmation within his teachings, presenting the Lord as the refuge and the authority behind Vedic dharma.