Shloka 11

Devanagari script

सम्राड्‌ विराट्‌ स्वराट्‌ चैव सुरराजो भवोद्धव: । विभुर्भूरतिभू: कृष्ण: कृष्णवर्त्मा त्वमेव च,“आप सम्राट, विराट, स्वराट्‌ और देवराज इन्द्र हैं। यह संसार आपहीसे प्रकट हुआ है। आप सर्वत्र व्यापक, नित्य सत्तारूप और निराकार परमात्मा हैं। आप ही कृष्ण (सबको अपनी ओर खींचनेवाले) और कृष्णवर्त्मा (अग्नि) हैं

Transliteration

samrāḍ virāṭ svarāṭ caiva surarājo bhavoddhavaḥ | vibhur bhūr atibhūḥ kṛṣṇaḥ kṛṣṇavartmā tvam eva ca ||

Translation

Vaiśampāyana berkata: “Engkaulah maharaja yang berdaulat—Virāṭ dan Svarāṭ juga—dan Engkaulah raja para dewa, Indra. Daripada-Mu alam semesta ini timbul dan di dalam-Mu ia dipelihara. Engkaulah Tuhan yang meliputi segalanya, asas kewujudan yang kekal melampaui rupa. Engkaulah Kṛṣṇa, yang menarik segala makhluk kepada diri-Nya, dan Engkaulah juga Kṛṣṇavartman, jalan yang berapi; sesungguhnya Engkaulah semuanya itu.”

Word by Word

सम्राट्universal monarch

विराट्the Vast/Universal (Virāṭ)

स्वराट्self-ruler, independent sovereign

चand

एवindeed, just

सुरराजःking of the gods (Indra)

भवोद्भवःsource/origin of existence (of the world)

विभुःall-pervading, mighty

भूःearth; being/existence

अतिभूःtranscending being; exceedingly existent

कृष्णःKṛṣṇa

कृष्णवर्त्माone whose path/track is dark (epithet; also used of fire/smoke-trailing fire)

त्वम्you

एवindeed

चand

Speaker

वैशम्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

Vaiśampāyana

Indra

Kṛṣṇa

Agni (implied by kṛṣṇavartmā)

Virāṭ (cosmic form/epithet)

Svarāṭ (epithet)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse teaches the unity of divine reality: the one Supreme is praised as simultaneously cosmic (Virāṭ), self-sovereign (Svarāṭ), ruler of the gods (Indra), the source of the universe, and the formless, all-pervading ground of being—implying that many divine names and functions ultimately refer to one reality.

What is happening in the narrative?

In the Śānti Parva’s reflective setting, Vaiśampāyana reports a hymn-like praise in which the addressed deity is exalted through a chain of epithets, identifying him with major cosmic and Vedic powers (Indra, Agni) and with Kṛṣṇa, to emphasize supreme lordship and the origin of the world.