Shloka 17

Kṣātra-Dharma, Daṇḍanīti, and Social Order

Indra–Māndhātṛ Dialogue

Devanagari script

नासौ देवो विश्वरूपो मयापि शक्यो द्र॒ष्टं ब्रह्मणा वापि साक्षात्‌ । येडन्ये कामास्तव राजन्‌ हृदिस्था दास्ये चैतांस्त्वं हि मर्त्येषु राजा,उन विश्वरूप भगवानको मैं और साक्षात्‌ ब्रह्माजी भी नहीं देख सकते। राजन! तुम्हारे हृदयमें जो दूसरी कामनाएँ हों, उन्हें मैं पूर्ण कर दूँगा; क्योंकि तुम मनुष्योंके राजा हो

Transliteration

nāsau devo viśvarūpo mayāpi śakyo draṣṭuṁ brahmaṇā vāpi sākṣāt | yed anye kāmās tava rājan hṛdisthā dāsye caitāṁs tvaṁ hi martyeṣu rājā ||

Translation

Bhishma berkata: “Dewa yang berwujud semesta itu tidak dapat disaksikan—bukan olehku, bahkan oleh Brahmā sendiri secara langsung pun tidak. Wahai Raja, apa jua hasrat lain yang tersimpan di hatimu akan aku penuhi; kerana engkau ialah raja di antara manusia.”

Word by Word

{'na''not', 'asau': 'that (person/being)', 'devaḥ': 'god

divine being', 'viśvarūpaḥ''of universal form

all-encompassing manifestation', 'mayā api''even by me', 'śakyaḥ': 'possible

feasible', 'draṣṭum''to see

to behold', 'brahmaṇā''by Brahmā', 'vā api': 'or even', 'sākṣāt': 'directly

with one’s own eyes', 'ye anye''whatever other', 'kāmāḥ': 'desires

wishes', 'tava''your', 'rājan': 'O king', 'hṛdisthāḥ': 'situated in the heart

inwardly held', 'dāsye''I will give

I shall grant', 'ca''and', 'etān': 'these', 'tvam': 'you', 'hi': 'indeed

for', 'martyeṣu''among mortals

in the human world', 'rājā''king'}

Speaker

भीष्म उवाच

Characters & Entities

Bhishma

Brahma

King (Yudhishthira implied)

Vishvarupa (universal form deity)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse underscores the limits of human (and even cosmic) perception regarding the supreme, all-encompassing form, while redirecting the king toward attainable aims within human dharma—rightful governance and the responsible ordering of desires.

What is happening in the narrative?

In the Shanti Parva dialogue, Bhishma addresses the king’s wish connected with beholding a universal divine form, declares it beyond direct vision even for Brahmā, and offers instead to fulfill other heartfelt wishes—affirming the king’s status and duties among mortals.