Shloka 57
Atithi-prāpti and the Brāhmaṇa’s Deliberation on Triadic Dharma (अतिथिप्राप्तिः धर्मत्रयविचारश्च)
प्राहुरादित्यवर्ण तं पुरुष तमस: परम् । बृहन्तं सर्वगं देवमीशानं वरदं प्रभुम्
vaiśampāyana uvāca | prāhur ādityavarṇaṁ taṁ puruṣaṁ tamasaḥ param | bṛhantaṁ sarvagaṁ devam īśānaṁ varadaṁ prabhum ||
ঋষিগণ বলেন—তিনি সেই পুরুষ, সূর্যের ন্যায় দীপ্তিমান, অজ্ঞান-অন্ধকারের অতীত; তিনি মহান, সর্বব্যাপী দেব, ঈশান, বরদাতা ও সর্বসমর্থ প্রভু।
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse teaches that Nārāyaṇa is both transcendent (beyond tamas/ignorance) and immanent (the inner ruler, all-pervading), and therefore the ultimate refuge and source of grace—supporting a dharmic life grounded in devotion and right understanding.
Vaiśampāyana reports a traditional characterization given by sages: a litany of epithets praising the supreme Lord’s radiance, omnipresence, sovereignty, and beneficence, within the Shānti Parva’s broader instruction on peace, dharma, and ultimate reality.