Shloka 34
Adhyāya 69: Strategic duels under Bhīṣma’s command
Virāṭa–Bhīṣma; Arjuna–Aśvatthāmā; Bhīma–Duryodhana; Abhimanyu–Lakṣmaṇa
यो धारयति लोकांस्त्रींश्वराचरगुरु: प्रभु: । योद्धा जयश्न जेता च सर्वप्रकृतिरी श्वर:,ये चराचरगुरु भगवान् श्रीहरि तीनों लोकोंको धारण करते हैं। ये ही योद्धा हैं, ये ही विजय हैं और ये ही विजयी हैं। सबके कारणभूत परमेश्वर भी ये ही हैं
yo dhārayati lokāṁs trīn śvarācaraguruḥ prabhuḥ | yoddhā jayaś ca jetā ca sarvaprakṛtir īśvaraḥ ||
Bhīṣma declares that the supreme Lord—teacher and master of all that moves and does not move—upholds the three worlds. He is himself the warrior, the very principle of victory, and the victor; he is the sovereign God who is the source and ground of all beings and all natures. In the ethical frame of the war, this praise shifts attention from mere human prowess to the divine support that sustains order and decides outcomes beyond ego and ambition.
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse teaches that ultimate agency belongs to the Supreme Lord: he sustains the cosmos and is the hidden power behind struggle and success. Ethically, it urges humility and dharmic alignment—victory is not merely a product of force, but of the divine order that supports righteousness.
In Bhīṣma Parva, Bhīṣma speaks in praise of Śrī Hari, identifying him as the cosmic sustainer and the decisive factor in battle—warrior, victory, and victor—thereby framing the Kurukṣetra conflict within a larger theological and moral horizon.