Mahabharata — Anushasana Parva, Shloka 44

भीष्मस्योत्तरायणप्रतीक्षा तथा युधिष्ठिरागमनम् | Bhīṣma’s uttarāyaṇa moment and Yudhiṣṭhira’s arrival

Devanagari script

धर्मार्थ पुरुषव्यात्र ऋषिकोटी: ससर्ज ह । ता: सृष्टास्तेन विभुना पर्वते गन्धमादने

Transliteration

dharma-artha puruṣa-vyāghra ṛṣi-koṭīḥ sasarja ha | tāḥ sṛṣṭās tena vibhunā parvate gandhamādane ||

Translation

Hỡi bậc hùng dũng giữa loài người! Vì dharma và artha, Đấng Toàn Năng đã tạo ra vô số (hàng crores) các bậc ṛṣi. Do Đấng Chí Tôn bao trùm khắp ấy sinh thành, các hiền thánh ấy cư ngụ trên núi Gandhamādana, mãi miết hành trì khổ hạnh. Bởi vậy, hỡi bậc tối thắng trong hàng lưỡng sinh, hãy luôn cúi đầu đảnh lễ Vāsudeva—bậc thiện xảo trong thánh giáo và thông đạt dharma—vì phụng thờ Đấng Tối Thượng đưa đến thành tựu chính đạo tối thượng.

Word by Word

• धर्मार्थम्: for the sake of dharma (righteous purpose)
• धर्मार्थम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: धर्मार्थ (धर्म + अर्थ)
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Singular

• पुरुषव्याघ्रः: the tiger among men (best of men)
• पुरुषव्याघ्रः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: पुरुषव्याघ्र
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• ऋषिकोटीन्: crores of sages
• ऋषिकोटीन्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: ऋषिकोटि (ऋषि + कोटि)
• Form: Feminine, Accusative, Plural

• ससर्ज: created / brought forth
• Type: Verb
• Root: सृज्
• Form: Perfect (Liṭ), Third, Singular

• ह: indeed
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ह

• ताः: they (those)
• ताः: Karta
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: तद्
• Form: Feminine, Nominative, Plural

• सृष्टाः: created
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सृज् (क्त)
• Form: Feminine, Nominative, Plural

• तेन: by him
• तेन: Karana
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: तद्
• Form: Masculine/Neuter, Instrumental, Singular

• विभुना: by the all-powerful one (the Lord)
• विभुना: Karana
• Type: Noun
• Root: विभु
• Form: Masculine, Instrumental, Singular

• पर्वते: on the mountain
• पर्वते: Adhikarana
• Type: Noun
• Root: पर्वत
• Form: Masculine, Locative, Singular

• गन्धमादने: on (Mount) Gandhamādana
• गन्धमादने: Adhikarana
• Type: ProperNoun
• Root: गन्धमादन
• Form: Masculine, Locative, Singular

Speaker

ईश्वर उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Īśvara (the Lord)
• Vibhu (the all-powerful Lord)
• Vāsudeva (Śrī Kṛṣṇa)
• Ṛṣis (crores of sages; e.g., Sanatkumāra and others as per prose context)
• Gandhamādana Mountain
• Dvija (twice-born, addressed listener)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Worship and reverence toward the Supreme Lord (Vāsudeva/Īśvara) is presented as a direct means to attain the highest dharma; devotion is framed as ethically transformative and dharma-fulfilling.

What is happening in the narrative?

Īśvara speaks, describing how the Lord created vast multitudes of sages for the establishment and practice of dharma and artha, situating them on Mount Gandhamādana in continual austerity, and concluding with an injunction to bow always to Vāsudeva, the authoritative teacher of dharma.