गभस्तिनेमि: सत्त्वस्थ: सिंहो भूतमहेश्वर: । आदिदेवो महादेवो देवेशो देवभूद्गुरु:
bhīṣma uvāca | gabhastinemiḥ sattvasthaḥ siṁho bhūtamaheśvaraḥ | ādidevo mahādevo deveśo devabhṛdguruḥ ||
भीष्म उवाच—गभस्तिनेमिः सत्त्वस्थः सिंहो भूतमहेश्वरः । आदिदेवो महादेवो देवेशो देवभृद्गुरुः ॥
भीष्म उवाच
The verse teaches a devotional-theological vision of the Supreme as simultaneously cosmic (Sun-like radiance, lord of gods and beings) and inwardly present (abiding in all as the inner ruler). Ethically, it reassures that divine sovereignty is not distant: it sustains the world and actively protects devotees (as implied by the Narasiṁha–Prahlāda motif).
In Anuśāsana Parva, Bhishma instructs Yudhiṣṭhira on dharma and related disciplines. Here he recites a sequence of divine epithets—functioning like a hymn or praise-list—highlighting the deity’s forms, powers, and roles (sun-form, indweller, protector, lordship, and guidance of the gods).