Shloka 9
Śiva-nāmānukīrtana-prastāvaḥ
Prologue to the praise of Śiva and the Upamanyu testimony
एष विद्वान गुणश्रेष्ठो विष्णु: परमदुर्जय: । दिव्यचक्षुर्महातेजा वीक्षते योगचक्षुषा
eṣa vidvān guṇaśreṣṭho viṣṇuḥ paramadurjayaḥ | divyacakṣur mahātejā vīkṣate yogacakṣuṣā ||
एष विद्वान् गुणश्रेष्ठो विष्णुः परमदुर्जयः । दिव्यचक्षुर्महातेजा वीक्षते योगचक्षुषा ॥
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse teaches that the Supreme (Vishnu) is characterized by true wisdom, unsurpassed excellence, and invincibility, and that his knowledge is not sensory but yogic—an inner, direct vision that comprehends all. Ethically, it implies that dharma is best understood and upheld through purified insight rather than mere force or argument.
In Anushasana Parva, Bhishma is instructing Yudhishthira on dharma and higher truths. Here he praises Vishnu’s divine nature—his radiance, invincibility, and yogic sight—framing Vishnu as the ultimate knower and guide whose vision encompasses all realities.