Shloka 1
श्रेयो-धर्मकर्मविचारः
Inquiry into Śreyas, Dharma, and Karma
शुक्राचार्यने कहा--तात! आकाशसहित यह सारी पृथ्वी जिनकी भुजाओंके बलपर स्थित है, महान् प्रभावशाली उन भगवान् विष्णुदेवको नमस्कार है
Śukrācārya uvāca—tāta! ākāśa-sahitā iyam sarvā pṛthivī yasyāḥ bhujayoḥ balena pratiṣṭhitā, taṁ mahān-prabhāvaṁ bhagavantaṁ Viṣṇudevaṁ namaskāraḥ.
Śukrācārya berkata: “Wahai anakku! Sembah sujud kepada Dewa Viṣṇu, Tuhan yang berkilau agung; dengan kekuatan lengan-Nya seluruh bumi ini—berserta langit—tegak tersokong.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse teaches reverence toward the sustaining divine principle—Lord Viṣṇu—by portraying the stability of the cosmos (earth with the sky) as dependent on his power. Ethically, it encourages humility and devotion as foundations for right conduct (dharma).
Within Bhīṣma’s discourse in Śānti Parva, a saying attributed to Śukrācārya is cited: he addresses a listener affectionately and offers a formal salutation to Viṣṇu, emphasizing Viṣṇu’s cosmic support and supreme influence.