Shloka 8

अश्वशिरो-आख्यानम्

Aśvaśiras / Hayaśiras Narrative: Retrieval of the Vedas

Devanagari script

नारायणो हि विश्वात्मा चतुर्मूर्ति: सनातन: । धर्मात्मज: सम्बभूव पितैव॑ मे5भ्यभाषत

Transliteration

nārāyaṇo hi viśvātmā caturmūrtiḥ sanātanaḥ | dharmātmajaḥ sambabhūva pitā iva me 'bhyabhāṣata ||

Translation

ភីष្ម បានមានព្រះបន្ទូល៖ «នារាយណៈ ពិតជាព្រលឹងសកលនៃលោកទាំងមូល—ជាព្រះសនាតនៈ ហើយបង្ហាញជាចតុរមូរតិ (បួនរូប)។ ព្រះអង្គបានបង្ហាញខ្លួនម្តង ជាព្រះបុត្ររបស់ធម្មៈ។ នេះហើយជាពាក្យដែលឪពុកខ្ញុំបានប្រាប់ខ្ញុំដោយផ្ទាល់»។

Word by Word

• नारायणः: Narayana
• नारायणः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: नारायण
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• हि: indeed/for
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: हि

• विश्वात्मा: the Self of the universe
• विश्वात्मा: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: विश्वात्मन्
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• चतुर्मूर्तिः: four-formed/fourfold in form
• चतुर्मूर्तिः: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: चतुर्मूर्ति
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• सनातनः: eternal
• सनातनः: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सनातन
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• धर्मात्मजः: son of Dharma
• धर्मात्मजः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: धर्मात्मज
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• सम्बभूव: became/was born/appeared
• Type: Verb
• Root: भू
• Form: Perfect (Liṭ), Third, Singular, Parasmaipada

• पिता: father
• पिता: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: पितृ
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• इव: as/like
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: इव

• मे: of me/my
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: अस्मद्
• Form: Genitive, Singular

• अभ्यभाषत: spoke to/addressed
• Type: Verb
• Root: भाष्
• Form: Imperfect (Laṅ), Third, Singular, Parasmaipada

Speaker

भीष्म उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Bhīṣma
• Nārāyaṇa
• Dharma
• Bhīṣma's father (Śāntanu, implied)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Dharma is rooted in the eternal divine principle: Nārāyaṇa is the universal Self and the timeless source from which righteous order and its exemplars arise; recognizing this links ethical life to devotion and metaphysical truth.

What is happening in the narrative?

Bhīṣma, while instructing in Śānti Parva, cites an authoritative tradition received from his father: he identifies Nārāyaṇa as the cosmic Self, eternal and four-formed, and recalls that this deity manifested as the son of Dharma.