Shloka 23
Vyaktāvyakta-Viveka and Nivṛtti as Paramā Gati
Manifest–Unmanifest Discrimination and the Supreme Path of Withdrawal
अनाट्य॑ तत्परं ब्रह्म न देवा नर्षयो विदुः । एकस्तदू वेद भगवान् धाता नारायण: प्रभु:,वह परब्रह्म अनादि और सबसे परे है। उसे न देवता जानते हैं न ऋषि। उसे तो एकमात्र जगत्पालक नारायण ही जानते हैं
anāṭyaṁ tat-paraṁ brahma na devā na ṛṣayo viduḥ | ekas tad eva veda bhagavān dhātā nārāyaṇaḥ prabhuḥ ||
Disse Bhīṣma: Esse Brahman supremo—sem princípio, além de toda manifestação e absolutamente transcendente—não é conhecido nem mesmo pelos deuses ou pelos rishis. Somente o Senhor, o Criador e Protetor do mundo, Nārāyaṇa, o conhece de fato.
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse teaches that the highest Brahman is transcendent and not fully grasped even by gods or sages; complete knowledge of it belongs uniquely to Narayana. Ethically, it encourages humility about one’s intellectual reach and directs reverence toward the supreme source.
In the Shanti Parva instruction, Bhishma is teaching Yudhishthira about ultimate reality and the supremacy of Narayana, emphasizing that even exalted cosmic beings have limits in knowledge.