Shloka 77
अनिवर्ती निवृत्तात्मा संक्षेप्ता क्षेमकृच्छिव: । श्रीवत्सवक्षा: श्रीवास: श्रीपति: श्रीमतां वर:
anivartī nivṛttātmā saṅkṣeptā kṣemakṛc chivaḥ | śrīvatsavakṣāḥ śrīvāsaḥ śrīpatiḥ śrīmatāṃ varaḥ ||
Bhīṣma said: He is the one who never turns back—neither from the battlefield nor from the path of dharma; whose inner self is naturally withdrawn from sense-cravings and ever pure; who, at the time of dissolution, gathers the vast universe back into subtle form; who secures the welfare and protection of those who seek refuge; who is auspicious and purifying by mere remembrance; whose chest bears the mark called Śrīvatsa; who is the abode of Śrī (Lakṣmī); who is the Lord of Śrī; and who is the श्रेष्ठ among all the prosperous—surpassing even Brahmā and the guardians of the worlds in splendor and sovereignty.
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse teaches steadfastness in dharma (not retreating from righteous duty), inner renunciation (a mind free from cravings), and trust in the divine protector who grants kṣema—safety and well-being—to those who take refuge. It frames devotion as ethically transformative: mere remembrance of the auspicious Lord purifies.
Bhīṣma is reciting a sequence of divine names/epithets praising the Supreme Lord (commonly understood as Viṣṇu/Nārāyaṇa). Each epithet highlights a facet of divine character—cosmic sovereignty (withdrawing the universe at dissolution), moral steadfastness, and compassionate protection—within Bhīṣma’s instruction on dharma and devotion.