Shloka 52
अतुलः शरभो भीम: समयज्ञो हविह॑रि: । सर्वलक्षणलक्षण्यो लक्ष्मीवान् समितिज्जय:
atulaḥ śarabho bhīmaḥ samayajño havihariḥ | sarvalakṣaṇalakṣaṇyo lakṣmīvān samitijjayaḥ ||
भीष्म उवाच— अतुलः शरभो भीमः समयज्ञो हविर्हरिः। सर्वलक्षणलक्षण्यो लक्ष्मीवान् समितिञ्जयः॥
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse teaches that the divine ideal unites moral order and power: he is disciplined (knowing proper measure), purifying (removing sin through remembrance), and protective (victorious against forces that threaten dharma). Devotion is presented not as mere praise but as a path to ethical purification and steadfastness.
Bhīṣma is reciting a sequence of exalted epithets describing the supreme deity (in a stotra-like passage). Each name highlights a facet—transcendent excellence, acceptance of sacrifice, removal of sin, auspiciousness, association with Lakṣmī, and martial victory—building a devotional and ethical portrait for the listener.