Shloka 83
Nāgendra–Brāhmaṇa Saṃvāda: Praśna-vidhi and Dharmic Approach on the Gomatī Riverbank
प्रवृत्तिलक्षणश्वैव धर्मो नारायणात्मक: । नारायणात्मको गन्धो भूमौ श्रेष्ठतम: स्मृत:,प्रवृत्तिकूप धर्म भी नारायणका ही स्वरूप है। भूमिका श्रेष्ठम गुण गन्ध भी नारायणमय ही है
pravṛttilakṣaṇaś caiva dharmo nārāyaṇātmakaḥ | nārāyaṇātmako gandho bhūmau śreṣṭhatamaḥ smṛtaḥ ||
Vaiśaṃpāyana sprach: Das Dharma, das durch weltzugewandtes Handeln (pravṛtti) gekennzeichnet ist, ist selbst von der Natur Nārāyaṇas. Sogar der edelste Duft, den man in der Erde findet, gilt als von Nārāyaṇa geformt—von Ihm durchdrungen.
वैशग्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse teaches a theistic vision of dharma: the active, worldly path of duty (pravṛtti-dharma) is not separate from the Divine but is of Nārāyaṇa’s very essence. Even the highest natural excellence—symbolized by earth’s finest fragrance—is understood as pervaded by Nārāyaṇa, encouraging reverence for both ethical action and the natural world as expressions of the same ultimate reality.
In Śānti Parva’s instruction on dharma and ultimate principles, Vaiśaṃpāyana continues the doctrinal exposition by identifying dharma and even elemental qualities of nature with Nārāyaṇa, reinforcing a unifying, devotional-metaphysical framework for understanding righteous conduct and the cosmos.