Shloka 84
ब्रह्मण्यो ब्रह्मकृद् ब्रद्या ब्रद्यम ब्रह्म॒विवर्धन: । ब्रह्मविद् ब्राह्मणो ब्रद्मी ब्रद्यम॒ज्ञो ब्राह्मणप्रिय:,६६९१ ब्रह्माण्य:-तप, वेद, ब्राह्मण और ज्ञानकी रक्षा करनेवाले, ६६२ ब्रह्मकृत्-पूर्वोक्त तप आदिकी रचना करनेवाले, ६६३ ब्रह्मा-ब्रह्मारूपसे जगत्को उत्पन्न करनेवाले, ६६४ ब्रह्म-सच्चिदानन्दस्वरूप, ६६५ ब्रह्मुविवर्धन:-पूर्वाक्त ब्रह्मबशब्दवाची तप आदिकी वृद्धि करनेवाले, ६६६ ब्रह्म॒वित्-वेद और वेदार्थको पूर्णतया जाननेवाले, ६६७ ब्राह्मण:-समस्त वस्तुओंको ब्रह्मरूपसे देखनेवाले, ६६८ ब्रह्मी-ब्रह्मशब्दवाची तपादि समस्त पदार्थोंके अधिष्ठान, ६६९ ब्रद्य॒ज्ञ:-अपने आत्मस्वरूप ब्रह्मशब्दवाची वेदको पूर्णतया यथार्थ जाननेवाले, ६७० ब्राह्मणप्रिय:-ब्राह्मणोंको अतिशय प्रिय माननेवाले
bhīṣma uvāca | brahmaṇyo brahmakṛd brahmā brahma brahmavivardhanaḥ | brahmavid brāhmaṇo brahmī brahmajño brāhmaṇapriyaḥ ||
Bhishma said: He is the protector of sacred knowledge and those devoted to it; the ordainer of austerity and the Vedic way; the Creator (Brahmā) who brings forth the world; Brahman itself—pure being, consciousness, and bliss; and the one who increases the power of spiritual discipline and Vedic wisdom. He fully knows the Veda and its meaning; he sees all things as Brahman; he is the ground and support of all that is called ‘brahman’ (austerity, sacred learning, and spiritual power); he truly knows the Veda as his own Self; and he holds the Brāhmaṇas exceedingly dear.
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse presents the Divine as the source, protector, and fulfiller of ‘brahman’—austerity, Vedic knowledge, and spiritual power—while also affirming the highest metaphysical claim that the Divine is Brahman itself. Ethically, it elevates reverence for learning, self-discipline, and the honoring of Brāhmaṇas (as custodians of Vedic tradition) as integral to dharma.
In Anuśāsana Parva, Bhīṣma instructs Yudhiṣṭhira on dharma and extols the Supreme through a sequence of divine epithets (as in the sahasranāma-style praise). This verse is part of that litany, describing the Lord’s relationship to the Veda, tapas, creation, and the community devoted to sacred learning.