Shloka 58
ऋतु: सुदर्शन: काल: परमेष्ठी परिग्रह: । उग्र: संवत्सरो दक्षो विश्रामो विश्वदक्षिण:
ṛtuḥ sudarśanaḥ kālaḥ parameṣṭhī parigrahaḥ | ugraḥ saṃvatsaro dakṣo viśrāmo viśvadakṣiṇaḥ ||
भीष्म उवाच— ऋतुः सुदर्शनः कालः परमेष्ठी परिग्रहः। उग्रः संवत्सरो दक्षो विश्रामो विश्वदक्षिणः॥
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse presents the Divine as both immanent and transcendent: the regulator of cosmic rhythms (seasons, year, time), the refuge of devotees, the awe-inspiring power behind even the gods, and the giver of liberation. Ethically, it frames dharma as aligning oneself with this cosmic order through devotion, sacrifice, and the pursuit of final release.
In Anuśāsana Parva, Bhīṣma instructs Yudhiṣṭhira on dharma and extols the Supreme through a litany of names (a sahasranāma-style praise). This verse is a segment of that praise, enumerating epithets that describe the Lord’s cosmic functions and salvific role.