Shloka 43
धर्मद्वारबहुत्वविमर्शः — Reflection on the Many ‘Doors’ of Dharma (Śānti-parva 342)
अधिभूतानि चान्तेषु तदिच्छंश्वास्मि भारत । क्रमणाच्चाप्यहं पार्थ विष्णुरित्यभिसंज्ञित:,भारत! मैं सम्पूर्ण प्राणियोंकी गति ओर उत्पत्तिका स्थान हूँ। पार्थ! मैंने आकाश और पृथ्वीको व्याप्त कर रखा है। मेरी कान्ति सबसे बढ़कर है। भरतनन्दन! समस्त प्राणी अन्तकालनमें जिस ब्रह्मको पानेकी इच्छा करते हैं, वह भी मैं ही हूँ। कुन्तीकुमार! मैं सबका अतिक्रमण करके स्थित हूँ। इन सभी कारणोंसे मेरा नाम “विष्णु” हुआ है
adhibhūtāni cānteṣu tad icchaṃ śvāsmī bhārata | kramaṇāc cāpy ahaṃ pārtha viṣṇur ity abhisamjñitaḥ ||
Arjuna disse: “Ó Bhārata, desejo compreender aquilo que diz respeito aos seres encarnados no momento do fim da vida. E, ó Pārtha, como eu tudo pervado com meu passo e minha presença, que a todos superam, por isso sou conhecido pelo nome ‘Viṣṇu’.”
अर्जुन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse links the name ‘Viṣṇu’ with the idea of all-pervasiveness and transcendence—one who ‘strides over’ or surpasses all limits. It also frames a key ethical-spiritual concern: understanding what governs embodied existence, especially at life’s end, when one’s deepest aspiration turns toward the highest reality.
Arjuna addresses his interlocutor using epic honorifics (Bhārata, Pārtha) and asks to be instructed about the principle connected with embodied beings at the final moment. In the same breath, the verse explains the epithet ‘Viṣṇu’ as arising from the divine capacity to pervade and surpass all through an all-encompassing ‘stride.’