Shloka 41
धर्मस्य बहुद्वारत्वम् — Nārada’s Audience with Indra (Śānti-parva 340)
संकर्षणाच्च प्रद्युम्नो मनो भूत: स उच्यते । प्रद्युम्नाद् योडनिरुद्धस्तु सो5हंकार: स ईश्वर:
saṅkarṣaṇācca pradyumno mano-bhūtaḥ sa ucyate | pradyumnād yo 'niruddhas tu so 'haṅkāraḥ sa īśvaraḥ |
Bhīṣma dit : «De Saṅkarṣaṇa naît Pradyumna, dont on dit qu’il est le principe du mental (manas). De Pradyumna naît Aniruddha ; il est le principe du “moi” (ahaṅkāra) et on l’appelle aussi le Seigneur (Īśvara).»
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse presents a doctrinal mapping of divine emanations to inner psychological-cosmic principles: Pradyumna corresponds to mind (manas), and Aniruddha corresponds to ego-sense (ahaṅkāra) and the governing lordly principle (īśvara). The implied lesson is that true rule—of self and kingdom—rests on understanding and mastering mind and ego in alignment with dharma.
In the Śānti Parva’s instruction to the king, Bhīṣma continues a philosophical exposition. He explains a sequence of manifestation (from Saṅkarṣaṇa to Pradyumna to Aniruddha), using it to clarify how the cosmos and the inner faculties of a person are structured and how they relate to the divine.