Shloka 3

श्रेयो-धर्मकर्मविचारः

Inquiry into Śreyas, Dharma, and Karma

Devanagari script

दानवश्रेष्ठ जिनका मस्तक और स्थान भी अनन्त है, उन भगवान्‌ विष्णुका उत्तम माहात्म्य मैं तुम्हें बताऊँगा ।।

Transliteration

bhīṣma uvāca | dānavśreṣṭha yasyā mastakaṁ ca sthānaṁ cānantam, tasya bhagavato viṣṇor uttamaṁ māhātmyaṁ te 'haṁ vakṣyāmi || tayoḥ saṁvadator evam ājagāma mahāmuniḥ | sanatkumāro dharmātmā saṁśaya-cchedanāya vai ||

Translation

Bhīṣma dit : «Ô noble Dānava, je te dirai la grandeur suprême du Seigneur Viṣṇu—Lui dont la tête et la demeure sont toutes deux sans fin.» Tandis que Śukrācārya et Vṛtrāsura s’entretenaient ainsi, le grand sage Sanatkumāra, animé de droiture, arriva en ce lieu pour trancher leur doute.

Word by Word

• {'bhīṣma uvāca': 'Bhishma said', 'dānava-śreṣṭha': 'best among the Danavas (a leading asura)', 'mastaka': 'head

• summit', 'sthāna': 'place

• station', 'ananta': 'endless

• infinite', 'bhagavat': 'the Blessed Lord

• venerable deity', 'viṣṇu': 'Vishnu', 'uttama': 'supreme

• excellent', 'māhātmya': 'greatness

• sacred glory', 'tayoḥ': 'of the two (of them)', 'saṁvadatoḥ': 'while conversing

• of two who are speaking', 'evam': 'thus', 'ājagāma': 'came

• arrived', 'mahāmuni': 'great sage', 'sanatkumāra': 'Sanatkumara (eternal sage)', 'dharmātmā': 'righteous-souled

• devoted to dharma', 'saṁśaya': 'doubt

• uncertainty', 'cchedana': 'cutting

• removal', 'vai': 'indeed

Speaker

भीष्म उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Bhishma
• Vishnu
• Sanatkumara
• Shukracharya
• Vritrasura
• Danavas

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse frames Vishnu as infinite in nature and emphasizes that spiritual and ethical doubts should be resolved through the guidance of a dharmic sage—knowledge that dispels uncertainty is itself a support of dharma.

What is happening in the narrative?

Bhishma announces he will describe Vishnu’s supreme glory. In the embedded story, as Shukracharya and Vritrasura are in discussion, the sage Sanatkumara arrives specifically to resolve their doubts.