युगादिकृद् युगावर्तो नैकमायो महाशन: । अदृश्योड्व्यक्तरूपश्न सहस्नजिदनन्तजित्
yugādikṛd yugāvarto naikamāyo mahāśanaḥ | adṛśyo 'vyaktarūpaś ca sahasrajid anantajit ||
Bhishma berkata: Dialah penggagas zaman-zaman dan pemutar roda yuga. Ia mengenakan banyak daya māyā, dan pada akhir satu kalpa Ia melahap segalanya. Tak terlihat oleh indra dan tak termanifestasi dalam rupa, Ia penakluk ribuan dan penakluk tanpa akhir—senantiasa menang atas semua makhluk di setiap gelanggang.
भीष्म उवाच
The verse presents the Supreme as the controller of cosmic time and dissolution: he initiates the yugas, turns their cycle, manifests through many powers (māyā), yet remains beyond sensory grasp and unmanifest in essence. Ethically, it grounds dharma in reverence for a transcendent ruler whose victory is universal and inexhaustible.
In Anuśāsana Parva, Bhīṣma is instructing Yudhiṣṭhira and praising the supreme deity through a sequence of epithets. This verse continues that litany, describing divine attributes—cosmic governance, hiddenness, and invincibility—within Bhīṣma’s didactic discourse on dharma and devotion.