आदिरेष हि भूतानां मध्यमन्तश्न॒ भारत । विचेष्टते जगच्चेदं सर्वमस्यैव कर्मणा,भरतनन्दन! ये भगवान् शिव सम्पूर्ण भूतोंके आदि, मध्य और अन्त हैं। उन्हींके प्रभावसे यह सारा जगत् भाँति-भाँतिकी चेष्टाएँ करता है
ādireṣa hi bhūtānāṁ madhyam antaś ca bhārata | viceṣṭate jagac cedaṁ sarvam asyaiva karmaṇā ||
Sinabi ni Vaiśampāyana: “O Bhārata, siya nga ang simula ng lahat ng nilalang, ang kanilang gitna, at ang kanilang wakas. Sa mismong kapangyarihan at pagkilos niya, ang buong daigdig na ito’y kumikilos at gumagawa sa sari-saring paraan.”
वैशम्पायन उवाच
The verse affirms a theistic-cosmic vision: the supreme Lord (here understood as Śiva) is the origin, sustainer, and end of all beings, and the diverse motions of the world proceed from his agency—encouraging humility and devotion amid human conflict.
In Sauptika Parva’s aftermath of night-time violence, Vaiśampāyana frames events within a larger divine order, stating that the world’s varied actions unfold through the Lord’s power, thereby interpreting the unfolding calamities against a cosmic backdrop.