Shloka 21
एकान्तिधर्म-प्रश्नः (Inquiry into Ekāntin Dharma) / The Origin and Practice of Single-Pointed Nārāyaṇa-Centered Discipline
सर्वभावेन भक्त: स देवदेवं जनार्दनम् | अनादिमध्यनिधनं लोककर्तारमव्ययम्,वे आदि, मध्य और अन्तसे रहित, अविनाशी, लोककर्ता देवदेव जनार्दनके भजनमें सम्पूर्णभावसे लगे रहते थे
sarvabhāvena bhaktaḥ sa devadevaṃ janārdanam | anādimadhyanidhanaṃ lokakartāram avyayam ||
Bhishma nói: Với trọn vẹn tâm hồn, ông một lòng sùng kính Janardana, Thần của các thần—Đấng bất hoại, đấng tạo tác muôn cõi, vượt ngoài khởi đầu, khoảng giữa và tận cùng.
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
True devotion is total—‘sarvabhāvena’—and is directed to the Supreme who is imperishable and beyond time (without beginning, middle, or end). Such bhakti is presented as a comprehensive ethical stance: aligning one’s whole life with the eternal source and sustainer of the world.
Bhishma, in his instruction during the Shanti Parva, describes a person’s unwavering devotion to Janardana, characterizing the deity with theological epithets (devadeva, avyaya, lokakartā). The focus is didactic: establishing the object and quality of devotion as part of dharma-teaching.