Shloka 33
Adhyāya 69: Strategic duels under Bhīṣma’s command
Virāṭa–Bhīṣma; Arjuna–Aśvatthāmā; Bhīma–Duryodhana; Abhimanyu–Lakṣmaṇa
तस्माद् ब्रवीमि ते राजन्नेष वै शाश्वतोडव्यय: । सर्वलोकमयो नित्य: शास्ता धात्रीधरो ध्रुव:,राजन! इसलिये तुम्हें यह बता रहा हूँ कि ये भगवान् श्रीकृष्ण सनातन, अविनाशी, सर्वलोकस्वरूप, नित्य शासक, धरणीधर एवं अविचल हैं
tasmād bravīmi te rājann eṣa vai śāśvato ’vyayaḥ | sarvalokamayo nityaḥ śāstā dhātrīdharō dhruvaḥ ||
Therefore, O King, I tell you this: he—Śrī Kṛṣṇa—is eternal and imperishable. He embodies all worlds, is the ever-present ruler and ordainer, the bearer of the earth, and the unwavering foundation. In the midst of war’s uncertainty, Bhīṣma frames Kṛṣṇa as the stable moral and cosmic authority to whom one may rightly entrust judgment and refuge.
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Bhīṣma identifies Kṛṣṇa as the eternal, imperishable cosmic ruler—an unshakable foundation of order (śāstā, dhruvaḥ). The ethical implication is that dharma is ultimately grounded in a stable divine principle, not in shifting battlefield outcomes.
In Bhīṣma Parva, amid the Kurukṣetra war setting, Bhīṣma addresses a king and affirms Kṛṣṇa’s supreme, world-encompassing nature, presenting him as the reliable authority and support in a time of conflict.