Shloka 16
Cāturhotra as Inner Sacrifice (Yoga-Yajña) and Nārāyaṇa Recitation
ऋषचश्नाप्यत्र शंसन्ति नारायणविदो जना: । नारायणाय देवाय यदविन्दन् पशून् पुरा
ṛṣayaś cāpy atra śaṃsanti nārāyaṇavido janāḥ | nārāyaṇāya devāya yad avindan paśūn purā ||
Those who truly know Nārāyaṇa also cite the testimony of the seers here: in ancient times, for the sake of attaining the divine Nārāyaṇa, devoted men brought the ‘beasts’ under control—meaning they mastered the unruly senses. The verse frames spiritual progress as an ethical discipline: devotion is proven not by claim, but by restraint and inner governance directed toward God.
ब्राह्मण उवाच
Educational Q&A
Devotion to Nārāyaṇa is validated through disciplined mastery of the senses; the ‘animals’ to be subdued are the sense-forces that otherwise drag the mind outward. The verse appeals to ṛṣi-authority to present self-restraint as a form of inner sacrifice directed to God.
A brāhmaṇa speaker supports a teaching about yoga-like sacrifice by citing what the seers and Nārāyaṇa-knowers say: in ancient times devotees, seeking Nārāyaṇa, ‘obtained/subdued the paśus’—understood as bringing the senses under control as part of spiritual practice.