Shloka 103
अर्णुर्बृहत्कृश: स्थूलो गुणभृन्निर्गुणो महान् । अधृतः स्वधृत: स्वास्य: प्राग्वंशो वंशवर्धन:
aṇur bṛhatkṛśaḥ sthūlo guṇabhṛn nirguṇo mahān | adhṛtaḥ svadhṛtaḥ svāsyaḥ prāgvaṁśo vaṁśavardhanaḥ ||
Bhīṣma berkata: Dia lebih halus daripada yang terhalus, namun juga yang paling luas; amat ramping dan ringan, namun juga amat besar dan berat. Dia menanggung segala sifat, namun melampaui tiga guṇa; agung kerana kuasa, keagungan, dan pengetahuan yang tiada bandingan. Tanpa sokongan apa pun, Dia tegak oleh diri-Nya sendiri; bercahaya dan berwajah elok. Dialah leluhur asal sebelum segala leluhur, dan pengembang zuriat—membentangkan kesinambungan dunia serta memelihara kelangsungan dinasti.
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse presents a theological paradox: the Supreme both pervades the realm of qualities (as their bearer) and yet transcends them (nirguṇa). He is simultaneously subtle and vast, unsupported by anything yet self-established—teaching that ultimate reality is not limited by ordinary categories and is the ground of cosmic order and lineage.
In Anuśāsana Parva, Bhīṣma is instructing Yudhiṣṭhira on dharma and praise of the Supreme. Here he recites epithets describing the Lord’s nature—cosmic, ethical, and metaphysical—within the broader devotional and didactic discourse.