Shloka 75
Adhyāya 284: Tapas as a Corrective to Household Attachment
Parāśara’s Instruction
समुद्र और आकाशके समान अपार, अनन्त रूप धारण करनेवाले महामूर्तिधारी महेश्वर! जैसे गोशालामें गौएँ निवास करती हैं, उसी प्रकार आपकी भूमि, जल, वायु, अग्नि, आकाश, सूर्य, चन्द्रमा एवं यजमानरूप आठ प्रकारकी मूर्तियोंमें सम्पूर्ण देवताओंका निवास है ।।
bhīṣma uvāca |
samudra-ākāśa-samānāpāra-ananta-rūpa-dhāriṇe mahāmūrti-dhāriṇe maheśvara |
yathā gośālāyāṃ gāvo nivāsanti tathā tava bhūmi-jala-vāyu-agni-ākāśa-sūrya-candra-yajamāna-rūpāṣṭa-vidhāsu mūrtiṣu sarva-devatānāṃ nivāsaḥ ||
bhavaccharīre paśyāmi somam agniṃ jaleśvaram |
ādityam atha vai viṣṇuṃ brahmāṇaṃ ca bṛhaspatim ||
Bhīṣma nói: “Ôi Maheshvara, Đấng mang thân vũ trụ, mênh mông vô hạn như biển cả và bầu trời, hiện vô lượng hình tướng! Như bò ở trong chuồng, thì mọi thần linh cũng cư ngụ trong tám sự hiển lộ của Ngài: đất, nước, gió, lửa, hư không, mặt trời, mặt trăng, và người chủ tế. Quả thật, ngay trong thân Ngài, ta thấy Soma, Agni, Varuṇa (chúa tể thủy giới), Āditya (Mặt Trời), Viṣṇu, Brahmā và Bṛhaspati.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse teaches a theological vision of unity: the many Vedic and Purāṇic deities are understood as dwelling within the one Supreme Lord (Maheśvara) through his eightfold cosmic manifestations (earth, water, wind, fire, space, sun, moon, and the sacrificer). It frames devotion as recognizing the divine as immanent in the cosmos and in ritual life.
Bhishma, speaking in the Śānti Parva, offers praise and insight into Maheśvara’s cosmic nature. He describes the Lord as infinite like ocean and sky and declares that he perceives major gods—Soma, Agni, Varuṇa, the Sun, Viṣṇu, Brahmā, and Bṛhaspati—present within Maheśvara’s body, emphasizing Maheśvara’s all-encompassing form.