Shloka 96

Nāgendra–Brāhmaṇa Saṃvāda: Praśna-vidhi and Dharmic Approach on the Gomatī Riverbank

Devanagari script

उत्पन्नसंशयो राजा एतदेवमचोदयत्‌ । भगवान्‌ विष्णुके हयग्रीवावतारकी चर्चा सुनकर तुम्हारी ही तरह राजा जनमेजयको भी संदेह हो गया था। तब उन्होंने इस प्रकार प्रश्न किया--

Transliteration

utpanna-sabayo r1j1 etad evam acodayat | bhagav1n viu-ke hayagr
2bv1vat1ra-k
2b carc1 brutv1 tv1m iva r1j1 janamejayo 'pi sabaya pr1pta | tata sa evam apchat || naiv1sya vindanti gati mah1tmana na c1gati kabcid ih1nupabyati | j1n1tmak1 santi hi ye maharaya pabyanti nitya purua gu1dhikam ||

Translation

Śaunaka sprach: Als im König Zweifel aufstieg, drängte er genau diesen Punkt auf folgende Weise. Nachdem er die Erörterung über die Hayagrīva-Inkarnation des erhabenen Herrn Viṣṇu gehört hatte, wurde auch König Janamejaya—wie du—unsicher. Da fragte er: „Niemand hier vermag wahrhaft den Gang jenes Großgesinnten zu erkennen, und niemand erblickt seinen ‘Nicht-Gang’ (irgendeine Grenze oder ein Aufhören). Und doch gibt es große ṛṣis, deren Wesen selbst Erkenntnis ist; sie schauen immerdar die Person, die die guṇas überragt.“

Word by Word

• {'utpanna-sa\x1b\x15baya\x1e': 'doubt that has arisen', 'r\x101j\x101': 'the king (Janamejaya in context)', 'acodayat': 'urged, pressed with a question', 'bhagav\x101n': 'the Blessed Lord

• a title of divinity', 'vi\x1b\x1bu': 'Viṣṇu', 'hayagr\x012bv\x101vat\x101ra': 'the incarnation as Hayagr\x012bva (horse-headed form)', 'carc\x101': 'discussion, exposition', '\x15brutv\x101': 'having heard', 'sa\x1b\x15baya\x1e': 'doubt, uncertainty', 'ap\x1b\x1bchat': 'asked', 'gati': 'course, movement, destiny

• also ‘attainable state’', 'agati': 'non-going

• ‘no ascertainable end’', 'mah\x101tman': 'great-souled one

• exalted being', 'anupa\x15byati': 'perceives, observes', 'j\x1b\x101n\x101tmaka': 'whose essence is knowledge', 'mahar\x1b\x1bi': 'great seer', 'nityam': 'always, perpetually', 'puru\x1ba': 'the Person

• the supreme Self', 'gu\x1b\x101dhika': 'beyond/superior to the gu\x1bas (sattva, rajas, tamas)'}

Speaker

शौनक उवाच

Characters & Entities

• aaunaka
• Janamejaya
• Viu
• Hayagr
  2bva
• maharis (great seers)
• purua (the Supreme Person)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The Supreme Person’s nature and ‘path’ cannot be grasped by ordinary inference; yet realized seers—whose consciousness is grounded in knowledge—directly apprehend the Lord as transcending the three guas. The verse contrasts common epistemic limits with yogic/gnostic vision.

What is happening in the narrative?

After hearing an account and discussion of Viu’s Hayagr
2bva incarnation, Janamejaya becomes doubtful and presses the speaker with a question about how the Lord’s movement, destiny, or limits can be known, and how sages can nevertheless ‘see’ Him.