Śrī–Indra–Bali Saṃvāda: The Departure and Fourfold Placement of Lakṣmī
यत् तदेकाक्षरं ब्रह्म नानारूपं प्रदृश्यते । आसुरिर्मण्डले तस्मिन् प्रतिपेदे तदव्ययम्,जो एकमात्र अक्षर और अविनाशी ब्रह्म नाना रूपोंमें दिखायी देता है, उसका ज्ञान आसुरिने उस मुनिमण्डलीमें प्रतिपादित किया
yat tad ekākṣaraṃ brahma nānārūpaṃ pradṛśyate | āsurir maṇḍale tasmin pratipede tad avyayam ||
ビーシュマは言った。「不滅のブラフマン(Brahman)――一にして分かたれず、『一字(ひとつの音節)』と語られるそれ――は、それでもなお多様な形を取るかのように見える。その聖仙たちの輪の中で、アースリはその朽ちぬ実在の理解を説き、確立した。」
भीष्म उवाच
The verse teaches that the ultimate Reality (Brahman) is one, imperishable, and indivisible, yet it is perceived in the world as manifold forms. The many do not negate the One; rather, multiplicity is an appearance or mode of perception of the single immutable principle.
Bhīṣma, instructing on higher dharma and knowledge, recalls a traditional teaching: in an assembly of sages, the teacher Āsuri articulated and established the doctrine of the imperishable, one-syllabled Brahman that appears as many forms.