Shloka 18
Adhyāya 70: Sātyaki’s Arrow-Display and the Bhūriśravas Engagement; Twilight Withdrawal
परं हि पुण्डरीकाक्षान्न भूतं न भविष्यति । मुखत: सो5सृजद् विप्रान् बाहुभ्यां क्षत्रियांस्तथा
paraṁ hi puṇḍarīkākṣān na bhūtaṁ na bhaviṣyati | mukhataḥ so 'sṛjad viprān bāhubhyāṁ kṣatriyāṁs tathā ||
Bhīṣma dit : «En vérité, nul n’a existé jadis, et nul n’existera dans l’avenir, qui surpasse Puṇḍarīkākṣa, le Seigneur aux yeux de lotus. De sa bouche il fit naître les brāhmaṇas, et de ses bras, de même, il produisit les kṣatriyas.»
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse asserts the unsurpassed supremacy of Puṇḍarīkākṣa (Viṣṇu/Nārāyaṇa) and links social order to a sacred origin: brāhmaṇas arise from the mouth (speech, learning, ritual authority) and kṣatriyas from the arms (strength, protection, governance), grounding dharma in a cosmic hierarchy.
Bhīṣma is speaking and praising Puṇḍarīkākṣa as incomparable across time. He then describes a creation motif in which the Lord brings forth the brāhmaṇa and kṣatriya orders from different parts of his body, emphasizing their distinct functions and divine sanction.