Mahabharata 1.196.31 — Adi Parva, Adhyaya 196, Shloka 31
Adhyāya 196: Droṇa’s Conciliatory Counsel and Karṇa’s Suspicion of Counsel (मन्त्र-नय-विवादः)
तैरेव सार्ध तु ततः स देवो जगाम नारायणमप्रमेयम् । अनन्तमव्यक्तमजं पुराणं सनातन विश्वमनन्तरूपम्
taireva sārdha tu tataḥ sa devo jagāma nārāyaṇam aprameyam | anantam avyaktam ajaṃ purāṇaṃ sanātanaṃ viśvam anantarūpam ||
Vyāsa sprach: Daraufhin begab sich jener göttliche Herr, Mahādeva, in Begleitung eben jener Wesen zu Nārāyaṇa—unermesslich und jenseits aller Grenzen—der endlos ist, unmanifest, ungeboren, die uralte Person, ewig, das All selbst und von unendlichen Gestalten.
व्यास उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse emphasizes reverence toward the Supreme Reality described as infinite, unmanifest, unborn, and all-pervading. It presents Nārāyaṇa as transcendent (aprameya, avyaktam) yet immanent (viśvam, anantarūpam), encouraging humility and devotion before the ultimate source.
Vyāsa narrates that Mahādeva, accompanied by the previously mentioned companions, proceeds to meet Nārāyaṇa. The meeting is framed with a litany of epithets that highlight Nārāyaṇa’s boundless and cosmic nature.
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