Mahabharata — Anushasana Parva, Shloka 6

Devanagari script

अहं होन॑ वेझि तत्त्वेन कृष्णं यो<यं हि यच्चास्य बल॑ पुराणम्‌ | अमेयात्मा केशव: कौरवेन्द्र सो<यं धर्म वक्ष्यति संशयेषु

Transliteration

ahaṃ hi veda tattvena kṛṣṇaṃ yo ’yaṃ hi yac cāsya balaṃ purāṇam | ameyātmā keśavaḥ kauravendra so ’yaṃ dharmaṃ vakṣyati saṃśayeṣu ||

Translation

Sabi ni Bhīṣma: “Kilala ko si Krishna sa kanyang tunay na kalikasan—kung sino siya, at kung ano ang kanyang sinauna at pangunahing kapangyarihan. O panginoon ng mga Kuru, ang Keshava ay di-masusukat sa kanyang diwa; kaya tuwing may pag-aalinlangan na sumisibol sa iyong isip, siya ang magpapahayag sa iyo kung ano ang dharma.”

Word by Word

• {'ahaṃ': 'I', 'hi': 'indeed, surely', 'veda': 'know, understand', 'tattvena': 'in truth

• according to reality/essence', 'kṛṣṇam': 'Krishna', 'yaḥ ayam': 'who this (person) is', 'yat': 'what (it is)', 'ca': 'and', 'asya': 'of him

• his', 'balam': 'power, strength, potency', 'purāṇam': 'ancient, primordial, from of old', 'ameyātmā': 'of immeasurable nature/essence', 'keśavaḥ': 'Keshava (epithet of Krishna)', 'kauravendra': 'O king/lord of the Kurus', 'saḥ ayam': 'he, this very one', 'dharmam': 'dharma

• righteous duty, moral law', 'vakṣyati': 'will speak, will teach, will declare', 'saṃśayeṣu': 'when doubts (are present)

Speaker

भीष्म उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Bhishma
• Krishna
• Keshava
• Kauravendra (Kuru king; addressed person)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Bhishma affirms Krishna’s unique authority to clarify dharma: because Krishna’s nature and power are beyond measure, he is the reliable guide to resolve ethical uncertainty and doubt.

What is happening in the narrative?

Bhishma, speaking as an elder counselor, identifies Krishna’s true stature and tells the Kuru king that whenever confusion about right conduct arises, Krishna himself will provide the decisive instruction on dharma.