Shloka 85
Āścarya-kathana: Brāhmaṇa–Nāga Dialogue on Sūrya (Vivasvat) and the ‘Second Sun’ Phenomenon
एवं हि स महाभागो नारदो गुरवे मम । श्वेतानां यतिनां चाह एकान्तगतिमव्ययाम्
evaṁ hi sa mahābhāgo nārado gurave mama | śvetānāṁ yatināṁ cāha ekāntagatim avyayām ||
وهكذا وصفَ نارَدَةُ الجليلُ لمعلّمي فياسا المسلكَ الأعلى، المنفردَ الذي لا يفنى—مذكورًا في شأن أرباب البيوت ذوي الثياب البيضاء والزهاد على السواء—مبيّنًا أن الملجأ الأخير إنما هو في الانكفاء الباطني الذي لا يتزعزع، والثبات الراسخ على الطريق.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse points to an imperishable 'ekānta-gati'—a final, exclusive spiritual course grounded in inner withdrawal and single-pointed pursuit of liberation—presented as applicable across outward modes of life, whether one is a white-clad practitioner/householder or an ascetic.
Vaiśampāyana reports that the sage Nārada instructed Vyāsa (the narrator’s teacher), explaining the enduring highest destination or path associated with different life-styles—those marked by white clothing and those of ascetic striving—within the broader Shānti Parva discourse on dharma and liberation.