Shloka 7

Gālava’s Eastern Ascent with Garuḍa; Counsel on Kāla and Upāya (उद्योगपर्व, अध्याय ११०)

Devanagari script

अत्र विष्णु: सहस्राक्ष: सहस्नरचरणोडव्यय: । सहस्रशिरस: श्रीमानेक: पश्यति मायया

Transliteration

atra viṣṇuḥ sahasrākṣaḥ sahasracaraṇo 'vyayaḥ | sahasraśirāḥ śrīmān ekaḥ paśyati māyayā ||

Translation

ఇక్కడ విష్ణువు—సహస్ర నేత్రుడు, సహస్ర పాదుడు, అవ్యయుడు; సహస్ర శిరస్సులతో ప్రకాశించే వాడు, అయినా ఏకుడు. తన మాయాశక్తితో ఈ బహురూప జగత్తును దర్శించి నియంత్రిస్తాడు—బహుత్వం వెనుక ఒకే శాశ్వత ప్రభువు ఉన్నాడని, ఆయన దృష్టి సర్వత్ర వ్యాపించిందని వెల్లడిచేస్తూ.

Word by Word

अत्रhere

विष्णुःVishnu

सहस्राक्षःhaving a thousand eyes

सहस्रचरणःhaving a thousand feet

अव्ययःimperishable

सहस्रशिराःhaving a thousand heads

श्रीमान्glorious; possessing splendor

एकःone; single

पश्यतिsees

माययाby (his) māyā; through illusion/power

Speaker

युपर्ण उवाच

Characters & Entities

Viṣṇu

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse teaches that the supreme Lord (Viṣṇu) is one and imperishable, yet appears with countless forms and faculties; through māyā he manifests multiplicity while remaining a single, all-seeing reality. Ethically, it encourages humility and trust in a higher order that comprehends and sustains all.

What is happening in the narrative?

Yuparṇa points to Viṣṇu’s cosmic attributes—many eyes, heads, and feet—to emphasize divine omnipresence and omniscience. The statement functions as a theological affirmation within the Udyoga Parva’s tense pre-war setting, grounding events in the oversight of a supreme power.