Shloka 20
श्रेयो-धर्मकर्मविचारः
Inquiry into Śreyas, Dharma, and Karma
'श्रीमान् भगवान् नारायण हरि आदि और अन्तसे रहित हैं। वे ही चराचर प्राणियोंकी रचना करते हैं ।।
śrīmān bhagavān nārāyaṇaḥ hariḥ ādi-antase rahitaḥ | sa eva carācara-prāṇināṃ racayitā || sa vai sarveṣu bhūteṣu kṣaraś ca akṣara eva ca | ekādaśa-vikārātmā jagat pibati raśmibhiḥ ||
毗湿摩说道：吉祥的世尊那罗延——哈利——光辉无量，无始无终。唯有他塑造一切众生，动者与不动者皆然。他在一切有情之中，既为可坏（刹罗），亦为不坏（阿刹罗）。即便那由十一根所显现的诸种变相之聚，也是他自身的存在方式；并且以觉知之光的诸射线，他遍满并维系整个世界。
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse teaches the all-pervading supremacy of Nārāyaṇa: He is eternal (without beginning or end), the creator of all beings, present within all as both the changing (kṣara) and the unchanging (akṣara), and even the functioning of the eleven faculties is a manifestation of Him.
In Śānti Parva, Bhīṣma instructs Yudhiṣṭhira on dharma and higher truth. Here he turns to theological-metaphysical praise, identifying Nārāyaṇa/Hari as the ultimate ground of creation and the indwelling reality in all beings.