Shloka 23
Jaratkāru-nirukti and Parīkṣit’s forest encounter (जরত्कारुनिरुक्तिः—परिक्षिद्वनप्रसङ्गः)
ब्रह्मोवाच शेषोडसि नागोत्तम धर्मदेवो महीमिमां धारयसे यदेक: । अनन्तभोगै: परिगृहा सर्वा यथाहमेवं बलभिद् यथा वा,तदनन्तर ब्रह्माजी बोले--नागोत्तम! तुम शेष हो, धर्म ही तुम्हारा आराध्यदेव है, तुम अकेले अपने अनन्त फणोंसे इस सारी पृथ्वीको पकड़कर उसी प्रकार धारण करते हो, जैसे मैं अथवा इन्द्र
brahmovāca śeṣo ’si nāgottama dharmadevo mahīm imāṃ dhārayase yad ekaḥ | anantabhogaiḥ parigṛhya sarvāṃ yathāham evaṃ balabhid yathā vā ||
Brahmā said: “O foremost of serpents, you are Śeṣa. Dharma is your presiding divinity. Alone you uphold this entire earth, clasping it on every side with your endless coils—just as I do, or as Indra, the slayer of Bala, does.”
शेष उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights dharma as the sustaining principle behind great responsibility: Śeṣa’s capacity to uphold the earth is grounded in devotion to Dharma and unwavering steadiness in duty, presented as a cosmic model of ethical support and reliability.
Brahmā addresses and praises Śeṣa, identifying him as the supreme serpent who alone supports the earth with infinite coils, and compares this world-bearing power to that of Brahmā himself and Indra (Balabhit).