Shloka 11
Adhyāya 69: Strategic duels under Bhīṣma’s command
Virāṭa–Bhīṣma; Arjuna–Aśvatthāmā; Bhīma–Duryodhana; Abhimanyu–Lakṣmaṇa
नरनारायणौ यौ तौ पुराणावृषिसत्तमौ । सहितौ मानुषे लोके सम्भूतावमितद्युती
naranārāyaṇau yau tau purāṇāv ṛṣisattamau | sahitau mānuṣe loke sambhūtāv amitadyutī ||
قال بهيشما: «إنّ هذين—نارا ونارايانا—وهما من قدماء الرِّشي وأعلاهم منزلة، ذوا إشراقٍ لا يُقاس، قد وُلدا معًا في عالم البشر.»
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse frames extraordinary moral and spiritual authority as entering history: the primeval sage-pair Nara and Nārāyaṇa are presented as divinely radiant beings who assume human birth, implying that dharma is upheld not only by human effort but also by providential embodiment of wisdom and restraint.
Bhīṣma identifies two exalted, ancient ṛṣis—Nara and Nārāyaṇa—and states that they have appeared together in the human realm. This functions as a recognition of divine presence within the unfolding events of the epic, lending sacred weight to the persons or forces being described.