Anushasana Parva Adhyaya 155 Shloka 17 - Mahabharata | French | Vedapath

Vyasa

←Previous VerseNext Verse→

Shloka 17

Devanagari script

सर्व: शर्व: शिव: स्थाणुर्भूतादिर्निधिरव्यय: । सम्भवो भावनो भर्ता प्रभव: प्रभुरीक्षर:

Transliteration

bhīṣma uvāca | sarvaḥ śarvaḥ śivaḥ sthāṇur bhūtādir nidhir avyayaḥ | sambhavo bhāvano bhartā prabhavaḥ prabhur īśvaraḥ ||

Translation

Bhīṣma dit : Il est le Tout, présent en toute forme ; Il est Śarva, celui qui retire tous les êtres au temps de la dissolution ; Il est Śiva, auspice et au-delà des trois guṇas ; Il est Sthāṇu, l’immobile et le ferme. Il est la cause première des êtres et le refuge impérissable où toutes les créatures se fondent à la fin des temps. Il se manifeste par sa propre volonté, fait naître les fruits des actes de tous les jouisseurs, soutient tous, est d’origine suprême (divine), est le Seigneur de tous, et Il est Īśvara — souveraineté sans aucun adjuvant limitant.

Word by Word

सर्वःthe all; all-pervading

शर्वःŚarva (a name of Rudra/Śiva; destroyer)

शिवःŚiva; auspicious one

स्थाणुःthe immovable; the steadfast

भूतादिःorigin/source of beings

निधिःtreasure; repository; abode

अव्ययःimperishable; undecaying

सम्भवःself-manifesting; origin; coming into being

भावनःproducer; nourisher; one who brings about (results)

भर्ताsupporter; sustainer

प्रभवःsource; mighty origin; excellent birth

प्रभुःlord; master

ईश्वरःsovereign; God; ruler

Speaker

भीष्म उवाच

Characters & Entities

Bhishma (speaker)

Shiva/Rudra (as the deity praised through epithets: Śarva, Śiva, Sthāṇu, Īśvara)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

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 a devotional and ethical vision of the Supreme as both transcendent and immanent: the same Lord who dissolves the cosmos also sustains it, dispenses the fruits of actions, and remains imperishable. This supports dharma by grounding moral causality (karma-phala) and refuge (nidhi/avyaya) in a sovereign, auspicious Lord.

What is happening in the narrative?

In Anuśāsana Parva, Bhīṣma instructs Yudhiṣṭhira on dharma and praises the deity through a litany of divine names. Here he recites epithets of Śiva/Rudra, describing cosmic roles—creation/manifestation, sustenance, karmic governance, and dissolution—to establish the Lord’s supremacy and worthiness of worship.