SánscritoIASTSignificado
भगवान् वासुदेवःbhagavān vāsudevaḥLord Vasudeva (Krishna)
चcaand
कीर्त्यतेkīrtyateis glorified; is extolled
अत्रatrahere
सनातनःsanātanaḥeternal; primordial
सः हिsaḥ hifor He
सत्यम्satyamTruth
ऋतम्ṛtamcosmic order (rita)
च एवca evaand
पवित्रम्pavitrampure (purifying)
पुण्यम्puṇyamholy; auspicious
शाश्वतम् ब्रह्म परमम्śāśvataṃ brahma paramamthe eternal Supreme Brahman
ध्रुवम्dhruvamimmutable; unshakeable
ज्योतिः सनातनम्jyotiḥ sanātanameternal light
यस्यyasyawhose
दिव्यानि कर्माणिdivyāni karmāṇidivine deeds
कथयन्तिkathayantiextol; recount
मनीषिणःmanīṣiṇaḥthe wise
असत् सत्asat satnon-being and being
सत् असत्sat asatbeing and non-being
च एवca evaand
यस्मात् देवात्yasmāt devātfrom which God
प्रवर्ततेpravartateproceeds; originates
संततिःsaṃtatiḥcontinuation (of lineage), succession
चcaand
प्रवृत्तिःpravṛttiḥactivity; unfolding
जन्मjanmabirth
मृत्युःmṛtyuḥdeath
पुनर्भवःpunar-bhavaḥrebirth (re-becoming)
अध्यात्मम्adhyātmamthe spiritual principle (adhyatma)
श्रूयतेśrūyateis heard (in the scriptures)
यत्yatwhich
चcaand
पञ्चभूतगुणात्मकम्pañca-bhūta-guṇa-ātmakamconsisting of the five elements and the gunas
अव्यक्तादि परम्avyakta-ādi paramthe supreme, beginning with the unmanifest
यत् चyat caand which
सः एवsaḥ evaHe alone
परिगीयतेparigīyateis extolled; is glorified
वासुदेवश्vāsudevaśthe source form “vāsudevaś”, included for full word-by-word coverage
ऽत्र'trathe source form “'tra”, included for full word-by-word coverage
सsathe source form “sa”, included for full word-by-word coverage
ऋतंṛtaṃthe source form “ṛtaṃ”, included for full word-by-word coverage
चैवcaivathe source form “caiva”, included for full word-by-word coverage
पवित्रंpavitraṃthe source form “pavitraṃ”, included for full word-by-word coverage
परमंparamaṃthe source form “paramaṃ”, included for full word-by-word coverage
ध्रुवंdhruvaṃthe source form “dhruvaṃ”, included for full word-by-word coverage
सद्sadthe source form “sad”, included for full word-by-word coverage
असच्asacthe source form “asac”, included for full word-by-word coverage
चैवcaivathe source form “caiva”, included for full word-by-word coverage
यस्माद्yasmādthe source form “yasmād”, included for full word-by-word coverage
संततिश्saṃtatiśthe source form “saṃtatiś”, included for full word-by-word coverage
प्रवृत्तिश्pravṛttiśthe source form “pravṛttiś”, included for full word-by-word coverage
पुनर्भवःpunarbhavaḥthe source form “punarbhavaḥ”, included for full word-by-word coverage
अध्यात्मंadhyātmaṃthe source form “adhyātmaṃ”, included for full word-by-word coverage
यच्yacthe source form “yac”, included for full word-by-word coverage
पञ्चभूतगुणात्मकम्pañcabhūtaguṇātmakamthe source form “pañcabhūtaguṇātmakam”, included for full word-by-word coverage
अव्यक्तादिavyaktādithe source form “avyaktādi”, included for full word-by-word coverage
परंparaṃthe source form “paraṃ”, included for full word-by-word coverage
यच्yacthe source form “yac”, included for full word-by-word coverage
सsathe source form “sa”, included for full word-by-word coverage
This is the heart of the entire introduction and the key to the whole Mahabharata: ‘here is glorified the eternal Lord Vasudeva.’ The epic proclaims Krishna as the Supreme: He is Truth (satya), the cosmic law (rita), purity and holiness, the eternal Supreme Brahman, the unshakeable eternal light from which everything proceeds — being and non-being, birth, death, and rebirth, everything spiritual and material. A crucial clarification appears here: Vasudeva is called the ‘Supreme Brahman,’ yet this is not an impersonal void — for He has ‘divine deeds’ (divyāni karmāṇi) extolled by the wise, and deeds belong to a Person, not to an impersonal principle. Brahman here is thus the personal Lord Krishna Himself, the source of everything, including His own impersonal effulgence. ‘He alone is extolled in everything’ (sa eva parigīyate): whatever subject the scripture touches, in the end it glorifies Him. Thus the supreme truth is proclaimed: Krishna is Bhagavan, the fullness of the Absolute, the goal and subject of all knowledge.