Shloka 3

श्रेयो-धर्मकर्मविचारः

Inquiry into Śreyas, Dharma, and Karma

Devanagari script

दानवश्रेष्ठ जिनका मस्तक और स्थान भी अनन्त है, उन भगवान्‌ विष्णुका उत्तम माहात्म्य मैं तुम्हें बताऊँगा ।।

Transliteration

bhīṣma uvāca | dānavśreṣṭha yasyā mastakaṁ ca sthānaṁ cānantam, tasya bhagavato viṣṇor uttamaṁ māhātmyaṁ te 'haṁ vakṣyāmi || tayoḥ saṁvadator evam ājagāma mahāmuniḥ | sanatkumāro dharmātmā saṁśaya-cchedanāya vai ||

Translation

Bhīṣma nói: “Hỡi Dānava ưu tú, ta sẽ kể cho ngươi nghe uy đức tối thượng của Viṣṇu—Đấng có cả đỉnh đầu lẫn nơi ngự đều vô tận.” Khi Śukrācārya và Vṛtrāsura đang đối thoại như thế, đại hiền triết Sanatkumāra, người đầy tinh thần chính pháp, đã đến nơi ấy để đoạn trừ nghi hoặc của họ.

Word by Word

• {'bhīṣma uvāca': 'Bhishma said', 'dānava-śreṣṭha': 'best among the Danavas (a leading asura)', 'mastaka': 'head

• summit', 'sthāna': 'place

• station', 'ananta': 'endless

• infinite', 'bhagavat': 'the Blessed Lord

• venerable deity', 'viṣṇu': 'Vishnu', 'uttama': 'supreme

• excellent', 'māhātmya': 'greatness

• sacred glory', 'tayoḥ': 'of the two (of them)', 'saṁvadatoḥ': 'while conversing

• of two who are speaking', 'evam': 'thus', 'ājagāma': 'came

• arrived', 'mahāmuni': 'great sage', 'sanatkumāra': 'Sanatkumara (eternal sage)', 'dharmātmā': 'righteous-souled

• devoted to dharma', 'saṁśaya': 'doubt

• uncertainty', 'cchedana': 'cutting

• removal', 'vai': 'indeed

Speaker

भीष्म उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Bhishma
• Vishnu
• Sanatkumara
• Shukracharya
• Vritrasura
• Danavas

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse frames Vishnu as infinite in nature and emphasizes that spiritual and ethical doubts should be resolved through the guidance of a dharmic sage—knowledge that dispels uncertainty is itself a support of dharma.

What is happening in the narrative?

Bhishma announces he will describe Vishnu’s supreme glory. In the embedded story, as Shukracharya and Vritrasura are in discussion, the sage Sanatkumara arrives specifically to resolve their doubts.