Shloka 23
नारायणं नमस्कृत्य नरं चैव नरोत्तमम् | देवीं सरस्वतीं व्यासं ततो जयमुदीरयेत्
nārāyaṇaṁ namaskṛtya naraṁ caiva narottamam | devīṁ sarasvatīṁ vyāsaṁ tato jayam udīrayet ||
Nachdem man sich in Ehrfurcht vor Nārāyaṇa verneigt hat, ebenso vor Nara—dem Besten der Menschen—sowie vor der Göttin Sarasvatī und Vyāsa, soll man sodann „Jaya“ (das Mahābhārata) rezitieren.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
Before engaging with the Mahābhārata, one should begin with reverent salutations—to the divine source (Nārāyaṇa), the exemplary human/divine hero (Nara, understood in tradition as Arjuna in the Nara–Nārāyaṇa pair), the power of inspired speech (Sarasvatī), and the transmitter/compiler (Vyāsa). The teaching is that ethical learning requires humility and acknowledgment of the sources of truth and right speech.
Vaiśampāyana introduces (or reiterates) the customary maṅgala/invocation that precedes the recitation of the epic: after offering salutations to Nārāyaṇa, Nara, Sarasvatī, and Vyāsa, the reciter should proclaim ‘Jaya,’ i.e., begin the Mahābhārata narration.