Shloka 18
Śiva-nāmānukīrtana-prastāvaḥ
Prologue to the praise of Śiva and the Upamanyu testimony
भीष्म उवाच सुरासुरगुरो देव विष्णो त्वं वक्तुमहसि । शिवाय विश्वरूपाय यन्मां पृच्छद् युधिष्ठिर:
bhīṣma uvāca surāsuraguro deva viṣṇo tvaṁ vaktum arhasi | śivāya viśvarūpāya yan māṁ pṛcchad yudhiṣṭhiraḥ ||
毗湿摩说道：“噢，神圣的毗湿奴，天与阿修罗所共尊的导师！唯有你才堪当宣说此事。由提施提罗问我：湿婆以宇宙之相所显的伟大；真正有资格阐明那神圣威严者，正是你。”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse models dharmic humility and theological inclusivity: Bhishma acknowledges the limits of his own authority and points to Vishnu as the most competent speaker on Shiva’s universal majesty, implying reverence across divine forms and the primacy of qualified instruction.
In response to Yudhishthira’s inquiry about the greatness of Shiva in his cosmic form, Bhishma turns to Vishnu and requests that Vishnu himself explain the subject, presenting Vishnu as the appropriate authority to narrate Shiva’s viśvarūpa-māhātmya.