Shloka 20
श्रेयो-धर्मकर्मविचारः
Inquiry into Śreyas, Dharma, and Karma
'श्रीमान् भगवान् नारायण हरि आदि और अन्तसे रहित हैं। वे ही चराचर प्राणियोंकी रचना करते हैं ।।
śrīmān bhagavān nārāyaṇaḥ hariḥ ādi-antase rahitaḥ | sa eva carācara-prāṇināṃ racayitā || sa vai sarveṣu bhūteṣu kṣaraś ca akṣara eva ca | ekādaśa-vikārātmā jagat pibati raśmibhiḥ ||
श्रीमान् भगवान् नारायणो हरिराद्यन्तवर्जितः । स एव चराचराणां भूतानां स्रष्टा ॥ स वै सर्वेषु भूतेषु क्षरश्चाक्षर एव च । एकादशविकारात्मा जगत् पिबति रश्मिभिः ॥
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse teaches the all-pervading supremacy of Nārāyaṇa: He is eternal (without beginning or end), the creator of all beings, present within all as both the changing (kṣara) and the unchanging (akṣara), and even the functioning of the eleven faculties is a manifestation of Him.
In Śānti Parva, Bhīṣma instructs Yudhiṣṭhira on dharma and higher truth. Here he turns to theological-metaphysical praise, identifying Nārāyaṇa/Hari as the ultimate ground of creation and the indwelling reality in all beings.