Shloka 446
धर्मस्य बहुद्वारत्वम् — Nārada’s Audience with Indra (Śānti-parva 340)
इच्छन् मुहूर्तान्नश्येयमीशो$हं जगतो गुरु: । “मैं निर्गुण
icchan muhūrtān naśyeyam īśo'haṁ jagato guruḥ |
Bhīṣma dit : «Si je le veux, je puis disparaître en un instant. Ne croyez pas que je sois visible simplement parce que je possède une forme. Je suis au-delà des paires d’opposés, libre de tout attachement et de toute appropriation, sans qualités qui m’enchaînent ; et je demeure le Seigneur et le guide spirituel du monde entier.»
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse asserts divine sovereignty and transcendence: the supreme reality is not bound by form or visibility, can appear or disappear by mere will, and is beyond attachment and worldly acquisition—therefore one should not mistake outward form for the ultimate nature.
In Bhīṣma’s instruction during Śānti Parva, a speaker identifies the supreme principle as the Lord and universal teacher, emphasizing that its manifestation is voluntary and that its true nature transcends ordinary dualities and material grasping.