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 ||
毗湿摩说道：“噫，摩醯湿伐罗！你如大海与虚空般广大无际，现无量形相，负载宇宙之身。正如群牛居于牛舍，诸神亦居于你八种显现之中——地、水、风、火、空、日、月，以及祭主（献祭者）。确然，在你自身之体内，我见到苏摩、阿耆尼、伐楼那（水界之主）、阿底提耶（太阳）、毗湿奴、梵天与布里哈斯帕提。”
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.