Shloka 23

Devanagari script

सुरेश: शरणं शर्म विश्वरेता: प्रजाभव: । अह: संवत्सरो व्याल: प्रत्यय: सर्वदर्शन:

Transliteration

sureśaḥ śaraṇaṃ śarma viśvaretāḥ prajābhavaḥ | ahaḥ saṃvatsaro vyālaḥ pratyayaḥ sarvadarśanaḥ ||

Translation

ಭೀಷ್ಮನು ಹೇಳಿದರು—ಅವನು ಸುರೇಶ, ದೇವತೆಗಳ ಅಧಿಪತಿ; ಶರಣ, ದೀನದುಃಖಿತರ ಪರಮ ಆಶ್ರಯ; ಶರ್ಮ, ಪರಮಾನಂದಸ್ವರೂಪ. ಅವನು ವಿಶ್ವರೇತಾ, ಜಗತ್ತಿನ ಬೀಜ ಮತ್ತು ಕಾರಣ; ಪ್ರಜಾಭವ, ಎಲ್ಲ ಪ್ರಜೆ ಅವನಿಂದಲೇ ಉದ್ಭವಿಸುವರು. ಅವನು ಅಹಃ, ಪ್ರಕಾಶಸ್ವರೂಪ; ಸಂವತ್ಸರ, ಕಾಲಸ್ವರೂಪ; ವ್ಯಾಲ, ಶೇಷನಾಗಸ್ವರೂಪ ಧಾರಕ; ಪ್ರತ್ಯಯ, ಶುದ್ಧ ಬುದ್ಧಿಯಿಂದ ಅನುಭವಿಸುವ ಸತ್ಯ; ಮತ್ತು ಸರ್ವದರ್ಶನ—ಎಲ್ಲರ ದ್ರಷ್ಟ, ಸರ್ವಸಾಕ್ಷಿ.

Word by Word

• सुरेशः: lord of the gods
• सुरेशः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: सुरेश
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• शरणम्: refuge
• शरणम्: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: शरण
• Form: Neuter, Nominative, Singular

• शर्म: bliss; happiness; comfort
• शर्म: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: शर्मन्
• Form: Neuter, Nominative, Singular

• विश्वरेताः: whose seed is the universe; source/cause of the world
• विश्वरेताः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: विश्वरेतस्
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• प्रजाभवः: origin of creatures; producer of progeny
• प्रजाभवः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्रजाभव
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• अहः: day; light
• अहः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: अहन्
• Form: Neuter, Nominative, Singular

• संवत्सरः: year
• संवत्सरः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: संवत्सर
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• व्यालः: serpent; great snake
• व्यालः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: व्याल
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• प्रत्ययः: cognition; certainty; knowledge
• प्रत्ययः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्रत्यय
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• सर्वदर्शनः: all-seeing; seer of all
• सर्वदर्शनः: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सर्वदर्शन
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

Speaker

भीष्म उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Bhīṣma
• Sureśa (Lord of the gods)
• Śeṣa/Ananta (implied by vyālaḥ)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse teaches devotion grounded in recognition of the Divine as the ultimate refuge and the cosmic principle behind creation, time, and moral knowledge—encouraging surrender to the all-seeing witness who sustains order.

What is happening in the narrative?

In Anuśāsana Parva, Bhīṣma continues his instruction by reciting a hymn-like sequence of divine names/attributes, describing the Supreme through epithets that link divinity with protection, bliss, creation, time, and omniscience.