Shloka 20
श्रेयो-धर्मकर्मविचारः
Inquiry into Śreyas, Dharma, and Karma
'श्रीमान् भगवान् नारायण हरि आदि और अन्तसे रहित हैं। वे ही चराचर प्राणियोंकी रचना करते हैं ।।
śrīmān bhagavān nārāyaṇaḥ hariḥ ādi-antase rahitaḥ | sa eva carācara-prāṇināṃ racayitā || sa vai sarveṣu bhūteṣu kṣaraś ca akṣara eva ca | ekādaśa-vikārātmā jagat pibati raśmibhiḥ ||
ビーシュマは語った。「吉祥なる世尊ナーラーヤナ＝ハリは、始まりなく終わりなく光輝に満ちている。動くものも動かぬものも、あらゆる存在を形づくるのはただ彼のみである。彼は一切の生類のうちに、滅びゆくものとしても、滅びぬものとしても宿る。十一の能力（根）の顕現した複合さえも、彼自身の在り方の一相であり、意識の光の射すところによって、彼は全世界に遍満し、これを支え保つ。」
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse teaches the all-pervading supremacy of Nārāyaṇa: He is eternal (without beginning or end), the creator of all beings, present within all as both the changing (kṣara) and the unchanging (akṣara), and even the functioning of the eleven faculties is a manifestation of Him.
In Śānti Parva, Bhīṣma instructs Yudhiṣṭhira on dharma and higher truth. Here he turns to theological-metaphysical praise, identifying Nārāyaṇa/Hari as the ultimate ground of creation and the indwelling reality in all beings.