Shloka 42
सुभुजो दुर्धरो वाग्मी महेन्द्रो वसुदो वसु: । नैकरूपो बूहद्रूप: शिपिविष्ट: प्रकाशन:
subhujo durdharo vāgmī mahendro vasudo vasuḥ | naikarūpo bṛhadrūpaḥ śipiviṣṭaḥ prakāśanaḥ ||
ビーシュマは言った。「彼は世界を守る美しき腕を持つ者。禅定においてさえ捉えがたく、保ちがたい者。ヴェーダに生まれる言葉の源。諸神の上に立つ主、マヘーンドラ。富を与える者であり、富そのものでもある。多くの姿を取り、また広大な宇宙の姿をも現す。太陽の光芒のうちに在り、万物を顕わにする照明者である。」
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse teaches that the Divine is simultaneously beyond easy mental grasp (durdharaḥ) and yet present as the very light and revelation within the world (śipiviṣṭaḥ, prakāśanaḥ). Ethical life is supported by this vision: one seeks protection and strength (subhujaḥ), cultivates disciplined contemplation, and aligns with dharma under the ‘Lord of lords’ (mahendraḥ), recognizing prosperity as both gift and sacred trust (vasudaḥ, vasuḥ).
In Anuśāsana Parva, Bhīṣma instructs Yudhiṣṭhira on dharma and extols the highest refuge through a revered hymn of divine names. This verse is one segment of that praise, listing epithets that describe the deity’s power to protect, to grant prosperity, to manifest in countless forms, and to illuminate the cosmos.