Shloka 49
भीष्मस्य भीमसेन-निरोधः
Bhīṣma checks Bhīmasena; matched engagements intensify
पद्मगर्भ विशालाक्ष जय लोकेश्ररेश्वर । भूतभव्यभवन्नाथ जय सौम्यात्मजात्मज,आपकी नाभिसे आदि कमलकी उत्पत्ति हुई है, आपके नेत्र विशाल हैं, आप लोकेश्वरोंके भी ईश्वर हैं; आपकी जय हो। भूत, भविष्य और वर्तमानके स्वामी! आपकी जय हो। आपका स्वरूप सौम्य है, मैं स्वयम्भू ब्रह्मा आपका पुत्र हूँ। आप असंख्य गुणोंके आधार और सबको शरण देनेवाले हैं, आपकी जय हो। शार्ज््धनुष धारण करनेवाले नारायण! आपकी महिमाका पार पाना बहुत ही कठिन है, आपकी जय हो
bhīṣma uvāca | padmagarbha viśālākṣa jaya lokeśvareśvara | bhūtabhavyabhavannātha jaya saumyātmajātmaja |
Bhishma praises the Supreme Lord in a hymn of surrender: “Victory to You, O One from whose navel the primal lotus arises; O wide-eyed Lord; O Sovereign even over the rulers of the worlds. Victory to You, Master of past, future, and present. Your form is gentle and auspicious; and I—Brahmā, the Self-born—am Your son. You are the support of countless excellences and the refuge of all. O Nārāyaṇa who bears the Śārṅga bow, Your greatness is exceedingly hard to fathom—victory to You.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse teaches bhakti grounded in metaphysical insight: the Supreme Lord is the source of creation (lotus motif), the ultimate sovereign beyond all worldly powers, and the universal refuge. Recognizing one’s place in the cosmic order (even Brahmā as ‘son’) cultivates humility and surrender, aligning devotion with dharma.
In Bhīṣma Parva, amid the war setting, Bhīṣma offers a stuti (hymn) to Nārāyaṇa/Viṣṇu. He addresses the Lord with epithets tied to creation and sovereignty, acknowledging the Lord’s incomprehensible greatness and protective nature, thereby framing the unfolding conflict within a larger theological and ethical horizon.