Mahabharata 7.151.33 — Drona Parva, Adhyaya 151, Shloka 33
अलायुधस्य भीमवधसंकल्पः
Alāyudha’s Resolve to Confront Bhīma
“आपका रहस्य गूढ़ है। आप सबके आदि कारण और इस जगतके स्वामी हैं। आप ही परमदेव, नारायण, परमात्मा और ईश्वर हैं। ज्ञानस्वरूप श्रीहरि तथा मुमुक्षुओंके परम आश्रय भगवान् विष्णु भी आप ही हैं। आपके यथार्थ स्वरूपको देवता भी नहीं जानते हैं। आप ही परम पुराणपुरुष तथा पुराणोंसे भी परे हैं ।।
sañjaya uvāca | āpaka rahasya gūḍha hai | āpa sabake ādi-kāraṇa aura isa jagat-ke svāmī haiṃ | āpa hī paramadeva, nārāyaṇa, paramātmā aura īśvara haiṃ | jñāna-svarūpa śrīhari tathā mumukṣu-gaṇa ke parama āśraya bhagavān viṣṇu bhī āpa hī haiṃ | āpake yathārtha svarūpa ko devatā bhī nahīṃ jānate haiṃ | āpa hī parama purāṇa-puruṣa tathā purāṇoṃ se bhī pare haiṃ || evam-ādi-guṇānāṃ te karmaṇāṃ divi ceha ca | atīta-bhūta-bhavyānāṃ saṅkhyātātra na vidyate || āpake aise-aise guṇoṃ tathā bhūta, vartamāna evaṃ bhaviṣya-kāla meṃ hone-vāle karmoṃ kī gaṇanā karane-vālā isa bhūloka meṃ yā svarga meṃ bhī koī nahīṃ hai | jaise indra devatāoṃ kī rakṣā karate haiṃ, usī prakāra ham sab log āpake dvārā sarvathā rakṣaṇīya haiṃ | hameṃ āpa sarva-guṇa-sampanna suhṛd ke rūpa meṃ prāpta hue haiṃ |
Dijo Sañjaya: «Tu misterio es profundo. Eres la causa primera de todo y el Señor de este mundo. Tú solo eres el Dios supremo: Nārāyaṇa, el Sí mismo supremo y el Señor soberano. Tú eres Śrī Hari, la forma misma del conocimiento, y también Bhagavān Viṣṇu, el refugio más alto de quienes buscan la liberación. Ni siquiera los dioses conocen de veras tu naturaleza real. Eres la Persona Suprema primordial y, sin embargo, estás más allá incluso de los Purāṇas. No hay nadie —ni en la tierra ni en el cielo— que pueda contar o medir por completo tales cualidades tuyas, ni tus obras a través del pasado, el presente y el futuro. Así como Indra protege a los dioses, así también debemos ser protegidos enteramente por ti. Te hemos hallado como un amigo bienhechor, colmado de toda excelencia.»
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The passage teaches the immeasurability of the Supreme Lord’s nature and deeds: even gods cannot fully know Him, and no being can enumerate His qualities or actions across time. Ethically, it frames proper human posture as humility, reliance on divine protection, and recognizing the Lord as a benevolent friend and refuge—especially for seekers of liberation.
In the Drona Parva’s war setting, Sanjaya delivers a hymn-like praise (stuti), identifying the addressed figure with Nārāyaṇa/Viṣṇu/Hari and declaring His transcendence. He then draws an analogy—Indra protecting the gods—to express that the speakers (and their side) depend on this divine protector and have obtained Him as a trustworthy well-wisher.
Ask anything about this verse
Curious about the meaning, context, or a word? Ask, and continue the conversation in the Vedapath app.
A free Google sign-in keeps your chat saved across web and the app.
Read Mahabharata in the Vedapath app
Scan the QR code to open this directly in the app, with audio, word-by-word meanings, and more.