Shloka 91
एको नैक: सव: कः कि यत् तत् पदमनुत्तमम् | लोकबन्धुलोंकनाथो माधवो भक्तवत्सल:
eko naikaḥ savaḥ kaḥ kim yat tat padam anuttamam | lokabandhur lokanātho mādhavo bhaktavatsalaḥ ||
ビーシュマは言った。「彼は一者—内に分かれ目なき唯一—でありながら、数多の降臨によって多ともなる。彼は祭祀そのものの姿、至福の体現、観想されるべきブラフマンである。自らにより成り立ち、あらゆる展開の源である。解脱を求める者が到達し得る、比類なき無上の住処である。彼は諸世界の友、万人が訴え求め得る諸世界の主—マーダヴァ—帰依者を慈しみ愛する者である。」
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse praises the Supreme as simultaneously transcendent unity (ekaḥ) and manifold in manifestation (naikaḥ), identifying Him as sacrifice, bliss, and the contemplable Brahman, and as the highest goal (anuttama-pada) reached by seekers—especially through devotion, since He is bhaktavatsala.
In Anuśāsana Parva, Bhīṣma instructs on dharma and extols the divine through a litany of names and attributes. Here he enumerates epithets of Mādhava to convey His supreme nature, His accessibility as Lord and friend of beings, and His special affection for devotees.