Shloka 103
अर्णुर्बृहत्कृश: स्थूलो गुणभृन्निर्गुणो महान् । अधृतः स्वधृत: स्वास्य: प्राग्वंशो वंशवर्धन:
aṇur bṛhatkṛśaḥ sthūlo guṇabhṛn nirguṇo mahān | adhṛtaḥ svadhṛtaḥ svāsyaḥ prāgvaṁśo vaṁśavardhanaḥ ||
Bhīṣma berkata: Ia lebih halus dari yang terhalus, namun juga yang paling luas; amat ramping, namun juga amat besar dan berat. Ia memikul segala sifat, namun melampaui tiga guṇa; agung karena kuasa, kemuliaan, dan pengetahuan yang tiada banding. Tak ditopang apa pun, Ia menegakkan diri-Nya sendiri; bercahaya dan berwajah elok; leluhur purba sebelum segala leluhur; dan penumbuh garis keturunan—menghamparkan kesinambungan dunia dan meneguhkan kelangsungan wangsa.
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse presents a theological paradox: the Supreme both pervades the realm of qualities (as their bearer) and yet transcends them (nirguṇa). He is simultaneously subtle and vast, unsupported by anything yet self-established—teaching that ultimate reality is not limited by ordinary categories and is the ground of cosmic order and lineage.
In Anuśāsana Parva, Bhīṣma is instructing Yudhiṣṭhira on dharma and praise of the Supreme. Here he recites epithets describing the Lord’s nature—cosmic, ethical, and metaphysical—within the broader devotional and didactic discourse.