Shloka 28
Adhyāya 69: Strategic duels under Bhīṣma’s command
Virāṭa–Bhīṣma; Arjuna–Aśvatthāmā; Bhīma–Duryodhana; Abhimanyu–Lakṣmaṇa
एतमर्थ च विज्ञाय श्रुत्वा च प्रभुमव्ययम् वासुदेवं महात्मानं लोकानामीश्चरेश्वरम्
etam arthaṁ ca vijñāya śrutvā ca prabhum avyayam | vāsudevaṁ mahātmānaṁ lokānām īśvareśvaram || (jānāmi bharataśreṣṭha kṛṣṇaṁ nārāyaṇaṁ prabhum) ||
Bhīṣma disse: “Ó melhor dos Bharatas, tendo compreendido este sentido e tendo ouvido acerca do Senhor imperecível, reconheço Vāsudeva — Kṛṣṇa, de grande alma — como o soberano supremo dos soberanos, o Senhor de todos os mundos, o próprio Nārāyaṇa. Esta é a minha convicção firmada.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse asserts Bhīṣma’s theological certainty: Kṛṣṇa (Vāsudeva) is not merely a heroic ally but the imperishable supreme Lord—Nārāyaṇa—who rules over all worlds. Ethically, it frames right judgment in war and dharma as grounded in recognizing the highest divine authority behind events.
In the Bhīṣma Parva war setting, Bhīṣma addresses a Bharata prince and declares that, after hearing and understanding the matter at hand, he knows Kṛṣṇa to be the supreme overlord (īśvareśvara). It functions as a solemn affirmation of Kṛṣṇa’s divine status amid the unfolding conflict.