Anushasana Parva Adhyaya 155 Shloka 87 - Mahabharata | Sanskrit | Vedapath

Vyasa

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Shloka 87

Devanagari script

मनोजवस्तीर्थकरो वसुरेता वसुप्रद: । वसुप्रदो वासुदेवो वसुर्वसुमना हवि:

Transliteration

manojavas tīrthakaro vasuretā vasupradaḥ | vasuprado vāsudevo vasur vasumanā haviḥ ||

Translation

भीष्म उवाच— मनोजवस्तीर्थकरो वसुरेता वसुप्रदः । वसुप्रदो वासुदेवो वसुर्वसुमना हविः ॥

Word by Word

मनोजवःone whose speed is like the mind; swift as thought

तीर्थकरःmaker of sacred fords; establisher of holy means/paths

वसुरेताःone whose seed/virility is 'vasu' (gold/wealth); golden-seeded

वसुप्रदःgiver of wealth

वसुप्रदःgiver of the supreme wealth (e.g., liberation) to devotees

वासुदेवःVāsudeva (son of Vasudeva; Krishna)

वसुःthe excellent one; wealth; (also) one who dwells within

वसुमनाःone whose mind is rich/excellent; noble-minded

हविःoblation; sacrificial offering

Speaker

भीष्म उवाच

Characters & Entities

Bhīṣma

Vāsudeva (Kṛṣṇa)

havis (sacrificial oblation)

tīrtha (sacred ford/place/means of crossing)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The Lord is portrayed as both the means and the goal: he establishes ‘crossings’ that help beings pass beyond suffering (tīrthakara), supports life and prosperity (vasuprada), and also grants the highest wealth—liberation. Worship is internalized by identifying him as the indwelling presence (vasu) and as the very oblation of sacrifice (haviḥ).

What is happening in the narrative?

Within Bhīṣma’s hymn-like recitation of divine names (a praise context in the Anuśāsana Parva), he strings together epithets of Vāsudeva/Kṛṣṇa, highlighting divine speed, guidance, creative power, generosity, inner immanence, equanimity, and sacrificial identity.