Shloka 19
Adhyāya 348: Nāga–Nīgabhāryā Saṃvāda on Anger, Hope, and Ethical Response
असुरवधकरस्तपसां निधि: सुमहतां यशसां च भाजनम् | मधुकैटभहा कृतधर्मविदां गतिदो- 5भयदो मखभागहरोडस्तु शरणं स ते
asuravadhakaraḥ tapasāṁ nidhiḥ sumahatāṁ yaśasāṁ ca bhājanam | madhukaiṭabhahā kṛtadharmavidāṁ gatido ’bhayado makhabhāgaharaś cāstu śaraṇaṁ sa te nārāyaṇaḥ ||
Vaiśampāyana sprach: Möge Nārāyaṇa dir Zuflucht sein—Er, der die Asuras vernichtet, ein Schatz der Askese, würdige Stätte der Größe und des Ruhmes; der Bezwinger von Madhu und Kaiṭabha; der den höchsten Pfad denen gewährt, die das begründete Dharma kennen und wahren; der Furchtlosigkeit verleiht; und der den Opferanteil empfängt.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse frames Nārāyaṇa as the ultimate refuge: He protects (abhayada), upholds and rewards dharma (gatida to kṛtadharmavid), and is honored through yajña (makhabhāgahara). Ethically, it teaches that safety and right destiny arise from devotion aligned with disciplined tapas, righteous conduct, and reverent offering.
Vaiśampāyana delivers an invocation/blessing, praising Nārāyaṇa with epithets—destroyer of Asuras, slayer of Madhu and Kaiṭabha, giver of fearlessness and good destiny—and prays that this deity become the listener’s shelter. It functions as a protective and dharmic benediction within the Śānti-parvan discourse.