Anushasana Parva Adhyaya 164 Shloka 31 - Mahabharata | Lao | Vedapath

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Shloka 31

Devanagari script

ज्योतींषि शुक्लानि हि सर्वलोके त्रयो लोका लोकपालास्त्रयश्न । त्रयो5ग्नयो व्याहृतयश्न तिस्र: सर्वे देवा देवकीपुत्र एव

Transliteration

jyotīṁṣi śuklāni hi sarvaloke trayo lokā lokapālāś ca trayaḥ | trayo 'gnayo vyāhṛtayaś ca tisraḥ sarve devā devakīputra eva || viśvāvāsaṁ nirguṇaṁ vāsudevaṁ saṅkarṣaṇaṁ jīvabhūtaṁ vadanti | tataḥ pradyumnam aniruddhaṁ caturtham ājñāpayaty ātmayonir mahātmā ||

Translation

ພີສະມະ ກ່າວວ່າ: “ໃນທຸກໂລກ ແສງສະອາດບໍລິສຸດທັງຫຼາຍແມ່ນພຣະອົງ; ສາມໂລກແມ່ນພຣະອົງ; ຜູ້ພິທັກສາມໂລກທັງສາມກໍແມ່ນພຣະອົງ. ໄຟສັກສິດສາມຢ່າງແມ່ນພຣະອົງ ແລະ ວະຍາຫຣິຕິສາມ (bhūḥ, bhuvaḥ, svaḥ) ກໍແມ່ນພຣະອົງ; ແທ້ຈິງແລ້ວ ເທວະທັງປວງລ້ວນແມ່ນບຸດແຫ່ງເທວະກີ—ສຣີກຣິສນະ—ນັ້ນເອງ. ພວກເຂົາເວົ້າວ່າ ພຣະອົງແມ່ນ ວາສຸເທວະ—ຜູ້ຄ້ຳຈຸນສາກົນ ເຫນືອຄຸນລັກສະນະ—ແລະແມ່ນ ສັງກັຣສະນະ ຜູ້ເປັນຫຼັກຊີວິດ. ຈາກພຣະອົງນັ້ນ ປຣັດຍຸມນະ ແລະ ອະນິຣຸດທະ ກໍເກີດອອກມາເປັນປາງຕໍ່ໆ ຕາມທີ່ພຣະຜູ້ເກີດດ້ວຍຕົນເອງ ຜູ້ຍິ່ງໃຫຍ່ ບັນຊາ ແລະເປີດເຜີຍພຣະອົງ.”

Word by Word

ज्योतींषिlights, luminaries

शुक्लानिbright, white

हिindeed, for

सर्वलोकेin the entire world

त्रयःthree

लोकाःworlds

लोकपालाःguardians of the worlds

त्रयःthree

अग्नयःfires (Agni-s)

व्याहृतयःutterances (bhūḥ bhuvaḥ svaḥ)

तिस्रःthree

सर्वेall

देवाःgods

देवकीपुत्रःson of Devakī

एवalone, indeed

येwho (those who)

हिindeed

संपूर्णcomplete, entire

लोकानाम्of the worlds

शुक्लज्योतयःbright lights

तथाand also, likewise

त्रयःthree

लोकाःworlds

त्रयःthree

लोकपालाःworld-guardians

त्रिविधाःthreefold

अग्नयःfires

त्रयःthree

व्याहृतयःvyāhṛtis

चand

संपूर्णाःentire, all

देवाःgods

अपिalso, even

एतेthese

देवकीनन्दनःDevakī's son (Kṛṣṇa)

श्रीकृष्णःŚrī Kṛṣṇa

एवalone, indeed

विश्वावासम्abode/support of the universe

निर्गुणम्without (material) qualities

वासुदेवम्Vāsudeva

संकर्षणम्Saṅkarṣaṇa (Balarāma aspect)

जीवभूतम्as the living principle; become the jīva

वदन्तिthey say, they call

ततःthen, thereafter

प्रद्युम्नम्Pradyumna

अनिरुद्धम्Aniruddha

चतुर्थम्as the fourth

आज्ञापयतिcommands, enjoins

आत्मयोनिःself-born (one whose source is himself)

महात्माthe great-souled one

Speaker

भीष्म उवाच

Characters & Entities

Bhishma

Krishna (Devakīputra, Vāsudeva)

Devakī

Saṅkarṣaṇa

Pradyumna

Aniruddha

Three worlds (trailokya)

Lokapālas (guardians of the worlds)

Three sacred fires (trayaḥ agnayaḥ)

Three vyāhṛtis (bhūḥ, bhuvaḥ, svaḥ)

Devas (gods)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse teaches a theological and ethical vision of unity: the many cosmic structures revered in Vedic religion—worlds, guardians, fires, sacred utterances, and even the gods—are ultimately grounded in and identified with one supreme reality, here named Krishna/Vāsudeva. This supports a dharmic ethic of single-minded devotion and reverence, seeing the divine as the inner essence of all sacred forms rather than competing powers.

What is happening in the narrative?

In Anuśāsana Parva, Bhishma continues instructing Yudhiṣṭhira on dharma and sacred knowledge. Here he offers a praise-identification (stuti) of Krishna as the cosmic source, aligning Vedic categories with Krishna and mentioning further divine manifestations (Saṅkarṣaṇa, Pradyumna, Aniruddha) to express how the one Lord unfolds as many.