Shloka 23

Devanagari script

सुरेश: शरणं शर्म विश्वरेता: प्रजाभव: । अह: संवत्सरो व्याल: प्रत्यय: सर्वदर्शन:

Transliteration

sureśaḥ śaraṇaṃ śarma viśvaretāḥ prajābhavaḥ | ahaḥ saṃvatsaro vyālaḥ pratyayaḥ sarvadarśanaḥ ||

Translation

毗湿摩说道：祂是诸天之主；是困厄者的至上归依；是安乐本身；是宇宙之种与因；是一切众生所由生起的源头。祂是白昼之光，是度量时序之年；是承载诸世界的宇宙大蛇（舍沙）；是由清净智慧所证得的真理；亦是洞见众生的全见证者。由此，此教导引人归投神圣——以祂为秩序、时间与道德辨识之根基。

Word by Word

• सुरेशः: lord of the gods
• सुरेशः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: सुरेश
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• शरणम्: refuge
• शरणम्: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: शरण
• Form: Neuter, Nominative, Singular

• शर्म: bliss; happiness; comfort
• शर्म: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: शर्मन्
• Form: Neuter, Nominative, Singular

• विश्वरेताः: whose seed is the universe; source/cause of the world
• विश्वरेताः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: विश्वरेतस्
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• प्रजाभवः: origin of creatures; producer of progeny
• प्रजाभवः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्रजाभव
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• अहः: day; light
• अहः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: अहन्
• Form: Neuter, Nominative, Singular

• संवत्सरः: year
• संवत्सरः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: संवत्सर
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• व्यालः: serpent; great snake
• व्यालः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: व्याल
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• प्रत्ययः: cognition; certainty; knowledge
• प्रत्ययः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्रत्यय
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• सर्वदर्शनः: all-seeing; seer of all
• सर्वदर्शनः: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सर्वदर्शन
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

Speaker

भीष्म उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Bhīṣma
• Sureśa (Lord of the gods)
• Śeṣa/Ananta (implied by vyālaḥ)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse teaches devotion grounded in recognition of the Divine as the ultimate refuge and the cosmic principle behind creation, time, and moral knowledge—encouraging surrender to the all-seeing witness who sustains order.

What is happening in the narrative?

In Anuśāsana Parva, Bhīṣma continues his instruction by reciting a hymn-like sequence of divine names/attributes, describing the Supreme through epithets that link divinity with protection, bliss, creation, time, and omniscience.