Shloka 14

Devanagari script

यत्‌ तदेकाक्षरं ब्रह्म नानारूपं प्रदृश्यते । आसुरिर्मण्डले तस्मिन्‌ प्रतिपेदे तदव्ययम्‌,जो एकमात्र अक्षर और अविनाशी ब्रह्म नाना रूपोंमें दिखायी देता है, उसका ज्ञान आसुरिने उस मुनिमण्डलीमें प्रतिपादित किया

Transliteration

yat tad ekākṣaraṃ brahma nānārūpaṃ pradṛśyate | āsurir maṇḍale tasmin pratipede tad avyayam ||

Translation

Bhīṣma dijo: «Ese Brahman imperecedero —uno e indivisible, del que se habla como de la “sílaba única”—, sin embargo, se ve como si asumiera muchas formas. En aquel círculo de sabios, Āsuri expuso y estableció la comprensión de esa Realidad que no decae.»

Word by Word

यत्which/that (what)

तत्that

एकाक्षरम्single-syllabled

ब्रह्मBrahman (the Absolute)

नानारूपम्of many forms

प्रदृश्यतेis seen/appears

आसुरिःAsuri (a sage)

मण्डलेin the circle/assembly

तस्मिन्in that

प्रतिपेदेhe taught/expounded; he made known

तत्that

अव्ययम्imperishable

Speaker

भीष्म उवाच

Characters & Entities

Bhīṣma

Āsuri

Brahman

maṇḍala (assembly of sages)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse teaches that the ultimate Reality (Brahman) is one, imperishable, and indivisible, yet it is perceived in the world as manifold forms. The many do not negate the One; rather, multiplicity is an appearance or mode of perception of the single immutable principle.

What is happening in the narrative?

Bhīṣma, instructing on higher dharma and knowledge, recalls a traditional teaching: in an assembly of sages, the teacher Āsuri articulated and established the doctrine of the imperishable, one-syllabled Brahman that appears as many forms.