Shloka 28
Adhyāya 69: Strategic duels under Bhīṣma’s command
Virāṭa–Bhīṣma; Arjuna–Aśvatthāmā; Bhīma–Duryodhana; Abhimanyu–Lakṣmaṇa
एतमर्थ च विज्ञाय श्रुत्वा च प्रभुमव्ययम् वासुदेवं महात्मानं लोकानामीश्चरेश्वरम्
etam arthaṁ ca vijñāya śrutvā ca prabhum avyayam | vāsudevaṁ mahātmānaṁ lokānām īśvareśvaram || (jānāmi bharataśreṣṭha kṛṣṇaṁ nārāyaṇaṁ prabhum) ||
Wika ni Bhīṣma: “O pinakamainam sa mga Bharata, matapos maunawaan ang diwa nito at marinig ang tungkol sa Panginoong di-nasisira, kinikilala ko si Vāsudeva—ang dakilang-loob na si Kṛṣṇa—bilang Kataas-taasang Panginoon sa mga panginoon, ang naghahari sa lahat ng daigdig, si Nārāyaṇa mismo. Ito ang aking tiyak na paninindigan.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse asserts Bhīṣma’s theological certainty: Kṛṣṇa (Vāsudeva) is not merely a heroic ally but the imperishable supreme Lord—Nārāyaṇa—who rules over all worlds. Ethically, it frames right judgment in war and dharma as grounded in recognizing the highest divine authority behind events.
In the Bhīṣma Parva war setting, Bhīṣma addresses a Bharata prince and declares that, after hearing and understanding the matter at hand, he knows Kṛṣṇa to be the supreme overlord (īśvareśvara). It functions as a solemn affirmation of Kṛṣṇa’s divine status amid the unfolding conflict.