Shloka 14
Śrī–Indra–Bali Saṃvāda: The Departure and Fourfold Placement of Lakṣmī
यत् तदेकाक्षरं ब्रह्म नानारूपं प्रदृश्यते । आसुरिर्मण्डले तस्मिन् प्रतिपेदे तदव्ययम्
yat tad ekākṣaraṃ brahma nānārūpaṃ pradṛśyate | āsurir maṇḍale tasmin pratipede tad avyayam ||
Bhīṣma dit : «Ce Brahman impérissable —un et indivisible, dont on parle comme de la “syllabe unique”— est pourtant perçu comme revêtant de multiples formes. Dans ce cercle de sages, Āsuri exposa et affermit la compréhension de cette Réalité qui ne se corrompt pas.»
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
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.
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.