Shloka 17
Adhyāya 302: Guṇa-vicāra, Gati-bheda, and the Imperishable State
Yājñavalkya–Janaka
सर्वतः पाणिपादं तत् सर्वतो$क्षिशिरोमुखम् । सर्वतःश्रुतिमल्लोके सर्वमावृत्य तिष्ठतति
sarvataḥ pāṇipādaṃ tat sarvato'kṣiśiromukham | sarvataḥ śrutimalloke sarvam āvṛtya tiṣṭhati ||
婆悉吒说道：“彼至上实在，四方皆有手足；四方皆有眼、首与面；于世间四方皆有闻。包覆一切而住——遍满万有。”
वसिष्ठ उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse teaches the omnipresence of the Supreme: it is symbolically described as having hands, feet, eyes, heads, faces, and ears everywhere—meaning nothing lies outside its awareness or pervasion. Ethically, this supports living with dharmic restraint and reverence, since all beings and actions occur within that all-encompassing Reality.
In Śānti Parva’s instruction on peace and higher knowledge, Vasiṣṭha addresses the king and describes the nature of the Supreme Reality. Using cosmic imagery, he explains that the Divine pervades the entire world, covering and sustaining all existence.