Shloka 10
Vyaktāvyakta-Viveka and Nivṛtti as Paramā Gati
Manifest–Unmanifest Discrimination and the Supreme Path of Withdrawal
पुरुषं सनातन विष्णुं यं त॑ वेदविदो विदु: । स्वर्गप्रलयकर्तारमव्यक्तं ब्रह्म शाश्वतम्,वेदज्ञजन उसीको सनातन पुरुष और विष्णु भी मानते हैं। वही संसारकी सृष्टि और प्रलय करनेवाला अव्यक्त एवं सनातन ब्रह्म है
puruṣaṁ sanātanaṁ viṣṇuṁ yaṁ ta vedavido viduḥ | svarga-pralaya-kartāram avyaktam brahma śāśvatam |
Bhishma berkata: Para ahli Veda mengenal-Nya sebagai Pribadi yang kekal—Viṣṇu. Dialah yang menimbulkan penciptaan dan peleburan dunia; Brahman yang tak termanifestasi dan abadi.
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse identifies the supreme reality as the eternal Puruṣa—Viṣṇu—who is also the unmanifest, everlasting Brahman, the ultimate ground behind creation and dissolution. It unifies personal theism (Viṣṇu) with the metaphysical absolute (Brahman) as the basis for understanding and practicing dharma.
In Śānti Parva, Bhīṣma instructs Yudhiṣṭhira on dharma and higher truth. Here he elevates the discussion by naming the supreme principle revered by Vedic authorities, presenting Viṣṇu/Brahman as the cosmic source and end, thereby framing ethical life within a larger spiritual and cosmological vision.