Shloka 86
स्तव्य: स्तवप्रिय: स्तोत्र स्तुति: स्तोता रणप्रिय: । पूर्ण: पूरयिता पुण्य: पुण्यकीर्तिरनामय:
stavyāḥ stavapriyaḥ stotraṁ stutiḥ stotā raṇapriyaḥ | pūrṇaḥ pūrayitā puṇyaḥ puṇyakīrtir anāmayaḥ ||
Bhīṣma berkata: Ia layak dipuji; Ia berkenan pada pujian para bhakta. Ia adalah stotra yang melantunkan kemuliaan-Nya; Ia adalah tindakan pemujaan itu sendiri; dan Ia pula sang pemuji. Ia mencintai pertempuran yang benar demi menjaga dharma. Ia sempurna dalam segala kesempurnaan; Ia menyempurnakan para bhakta-Nya. Ia adalah kebajikan murni—sekadar diingat pun melenyapkan dosa; kemasyhuran-Nya menyucikan; dan Ia bebas dari segala derita, lahir maupun batin.
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse presents the Lord as the complete source and goal of devotion: He is both the object of praise and, in a deeper sense, the power enabling praise. Ethically, it links devotion with dharma—affirming that even conflict can be righteous when undertaken to protect moral order, while emphasizing purification through remembrance and sanctifying fame.
In Anuśāsana Parva, Bhīṣma instructs Yudhiṣṭhira on dharma and extols the supreme Lord through a litany of divine epithets (the tradition of the Viṣṇu-sahasranāma). This verse is one segment of that praise, describing the Lord’s relationship to worship, His perfection, His role as fulfiller of devotees, and His freedom from all affliction.