Mahabharata · Book 6 · Bhishma Parva
Mahabharata, Book 6, Section LXVIIभीष्मपर्व
Kisari Mohan Ganguli’s English prose (1883–96), beside the Sanskrit of adhyāya 6.67.
Sanskrit
वासुदेवो महद्भूतं सर्वलोकेषु कथ्यते।
तस्यागमं प्रतिष्ठां च ज्ञातुमिच्छे पितामह ।।
भीष्म उवाच।
वासुदेवो महद्भूतं सर्वदैवतदैवतम् ।
न परं पुण्डरीकाक्षाद्दृश्यते भरतर्षभ ।।
श्रुतं मे तात रामस्य जामदग्न्यस्य जल्पतः।
नारदस्य च देवर्षेः कृष्णद्वैपायनस्य च।
असितो देवलश्चापि वालखिल्यास्तपोधनाः ।।
मार्कण्डेयश्च गोविन्दे कथयत्यद्भुतं महत्।
सर्वभूतादिभूतात्मा महात्मा पुरुषोत्तमः ।।
आपो वायुश्च तेजश्च त्रयमेतदकल्पयत्।
स सृष्ट्वा पृथिवीं देवीं सर्वलोकेश्वरः प्रभुः ।।
अप्सु वै शयनं चक्रे महात्मा पुरुषोत्तमः ।
सर्वदेवमयो देवः शयानः शयने सुखम् ।।
मुखतः सोऽग्निमसृजत्प्राणाद्वायुमथापि च।
सरस्वतीं च वेदांश्च मनसः ससृजेऽच्युत ।।
एषक लोकान्ससर्जादौ देवांश्च ऋषिभिः सह।
अमृतं चैव मृत्युं च प्रजानां प्रभवाप्ययौ ।।
एष धर्मश्च धर्मज्ञो वरदः सर्वकामदः ।
एष कर्ता च कार्यं च आदेरादिः स्वयं प्रभुः ।।
भूतं भव्यं भविष्यच्च पूर्वमेतदकल्पयत् ।
उभे सन्ध्ये दिवः खं च नियमांश्च जनार्दनः ।।
ऋषींश्चैव हि गोविन्दस्तपश्चैवाभ्यकल्पयत् ।
स्रष्टारं जगतश्चापि महात्मा प्रभुरव्ययः ।।
अग्रजं सर्वभूतानां संकर्षणमकल्पयत्।
शेषं चाकल्पयद्देवमनन्तमिति तं विदुः ।।
यो धारयति भूतानि धरां चेमां सपर्वताम्।
ध्यानयोगेन विप्राश्च तं विदन्ति महौजसम्।
कर्णस्रोतोभवं चापि मधुं नाम महासुरम् ।।
तमुग्रमुग्रकर्माणमुग्रां बुद्धइं समास्थितम् ।
हरन्तं ब्रह्मणो वेदाञ्जघान ब्रह्मणः पिता।
ब्रह्मणोपचितिं कुर्वन्महात्मा पुरुषोत्तमः ।।
तस्य तात वधादेव देवदानवमानवाः ।
मधुसूदनमित्याहुर्ऋषयश्च जनार्दनम् ।।
वराहं नारसिंहं च त्रिविक्रममिति प्रभुम् ।
एष धाता विधाता च सर्वेषां प्रामिनां हरिः ।।
परं हि पुण्डरीकाक्षान्न भूतं न भविष्यति।
मुखतः सोसृजद्विप्रान्बाहुभ्यां क्षत्रियांस्तथा ।।
वैश्यांश्चाप्यूरुतो राजञ्शूद्रान्पद्भ्यां तथैवच।
तपसा नियतं देवं निधानं सर्वदेहिनाम् ।।
ब्रह्मभूतममावास्यां पौर्णमास्यां तथैव च।
योगभूतं परिचरन्केशवं महदाप्नुयात्।।
केशवः परमं तेजः सर्वलोकपितामहः ।
एवमार्हुर्हृषीकेशं मुनयो वै नराधिप ।।
एवमेनं विजानीहि आचार्यं पितरं गुरुम् ।
कृष्णो यस्य प्रसीदेत लोकास्तेनाक्षया जिताः ।।
यश्चैवैनं भयस्थाने केशवं शरणं व्रजेत् ।
सदा नरः पठंश्चेदं स्वस्तिमान्स सुखी भवेत् ।।
ये च कृष्णं प्रपद्यन्ते ते न मुह्यन्ति मानवाः ।
भये महति मग्नांश्च पाति नित्यं जनार्दनःक ।।
स तं युधिष्ठिरो ज्ञात्वा याथातथ्येन भारत।
सर्वात्मना महात्मानं केशवं जगदीश्वरम्।
प्रपन्नः शरणं राजन्योगानां प्रभुमीश्वरम् ।।
।। इति श्रीमन्महाभारते भीष्मपर्वणि
भीष्मवधपर्वणि सप्तषष्टितमोऽध्यायः ।।
English Ganguli
“Duryodhana said, ‘In all the worlds Vasudeva is spoken of as the Supreme Being. I desire, O Grandsire, to know his origin and glory.’
“Bhishma said, ‘Vasudeva is the Supreme Being. He is the God of all Gods. None superior to him of eyes like lotus-petals is to be seen, O bull of Bharata’s race. Markandeya speaketh of Govinda as the Most Wonderful and the Most high, as the All-being, as the All-soul, as the Highest soul, and as the Supreme male Being. Water, Air, and Fire,—these three were created by Him. That Divine Master and Lord of all the worlds created this Earth. That Supreme Being of illustrious soul laid himself down on the waters. And that Divine Being made up of all kinds of energy slept thereon in Yoga. From his mouth He created Fire, and from his breath, the Wind. Of unfading glory, He created from his mouth Speech and the Vedas. It was thus that he created first the Worlds and also the gods along with the diverse classes of Rishis. And he created decay and death also of all creatures, as well as birth and growth. He is Righteousness and of righteous soul. He is the giver of boons and the giver of all (our) wishes. He is the Actor and Action, and He is himself the Divine Master.387 He first made the Past, the Present, and the Future; He is the Creator of the Universe. He is of illustrious soul; He is the Master possessed of unfading glory. He created Sankarshana, the First-born of all creatures. He created the divine Sesha who is known as Ananta and who upholdeth all creatures and the Earth with her mountains. Of Supreme Energy, He it is whom the regenerate ones know by Yoga meditation. Sprung from the secretions of his ear, the great Asura known by the name of Madhu, fierce and of fierce deeds and entertaining a fierce intent and about to destroy Brahman, was slain by that Supreme Being. And O sire, in consequence of Madhu’s slaughter, the gods, the Danavas, and human beings, and Rishis, call Janardana the slayer of Madhu. He is the great Boar. He is the great Lion, and He is the Three-stepped Lord.388 He is the Mother and the Father of all living creatures. There never was, nor will be, any superior to Him of eyes like lotus-petals. From His mouth He created the Brahmanas: and from His two arms the Kshatriyas, and from His thighs, O king, He created the Vaisyas, and from His feet He created the Sudras. One waiting dutifully on Him, observant of vows with ascetic austerities on days of the full-moon and the new-moon, is sure to obtain the Divine Kesava, that refuge of all embodied creatures that essence of Brahma and of Yoga. Kesava is the higher Energy, the Grandsire of all the worlds. Him, O king, the sages call Hrishikesa (the lord of the senses). Him also should all know as the Preceptor, the Father, and the Master. Inexhaustible regions (of blessedness) are won by him with whom Krishna is gratified. He also who, in a place of fear, seeketh the protection of Kesava, and he who frequently readeth this description, becometh happy and endued with every prosperity. Those men who attain to Krishna are never beguiled, Janardana always saveth those that are sunk in great terrors. Knowing this truly, O Bharata, Yudhishthira, with his whole soul, O king, hath sought the shelter of the highly blessed Kesava, the Lord of Yoga, and the Lord of the Earth.’"