Shloka 87
मनोजवस्तीर्थकरो वसुरेता वसुप्रद: । वसुप्रदो वासुदेवो वसुर्वसुमना हवि:
manojavas tīrthakaro vasuretā vasupradaḥ | vasuprado vāsudevo vasur vasumanā haviḥ ||
Bhīṣma said: He is swift as thought; the establisher of sacred crossings (and the revealer of saving disciplines); the one whose generative potency is golden and life-giving; the giver of wealth—indeed, the giver of the highest wealth (liberation). He is Vāsudeva; he is the indwelling Vasu; he is even-minded in all beings; and he is the oblation worthy to be offered in sacrifice. In ethical sense, the verse praises the Lord as both the inner source of right understanding and the supreme goal of worship, uniting worldly support with spiritual release.
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The Lord is portrayed as both the means and the goal: he establishes ‘crossings’ that help beings pass beyond suffering (tīrthakara), supports life and prosperity (vasuprada), and also grants the highest wealth—liberation. Worship is internalized by identifying him as the indwelling presence (vasu) and as the very oblation of sacrifice (haviḥ).
Within Bhīṣma’s hymn-like recitation of divine names (a praise context in the Anuśāsana Parva), he strings together epithets of Vāsudeva/Kṛṣṇa, highlighting divine speed, guidance, creative power, generosity, inner immanence, equanimity, and sacrificial identity.