Shloka 42
सुभुजो दुर्धरो वाग्मी महेन्द्रो वसुदो वसु: । नैकरूपो बूहद्रूप: शिपिविष्ट: प्रकाशन:
subhujo durdharo vāgmī mahendro vasudo vasuḥ | naikarūpo bṛhadrūpaḥ śipiviṣṭaḥ prakāśanaḥ ||
Bhīṣma dit : Il est celui aux beaux bras protecteurs ; celui qu’il est difficile de saisir ou de soutenir même dans la méditation ; la source de la parole née des Veda ; le Mahendra, Seigneur suprême même au-dessus des seigneurs ; le dispensateur de richesse et la richesse elle-même. Il est aux formes multiples et aussi à la vaste forme universelle ; présent dans les rayons du soleil ; et l’Illuminateur qui rend toutes choses manifestes.
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse teaches that the Divine is simultaneously beyond easy mental grasp (durdharaḥ) and yet present as the very light and revelation within the world (śipiviṣṭaḥ, prakāśanaḥ). Ethical life is supported by this vision: one seeks protection and strength (subhujaḥ), cultivates disciplined contemplation, and aligns with dharma under the ‘Lord of lords’ (mahendraḥ), recognizing prosperity as both gift and sacred trust (vasudaḥ, vasuḥ).
In Anuśāsana Parva, Bhīṣma instructs Yudhiṣṭhira on dharma and extols the highest refuge through a revered hymn of divine names. This verse is one segment of that praise, listing epithets that describe the deity’s power to protect, to grant prosperity, to manifest in countless forms, and to illuminate the cosmos.