Shloka 25
Jarāsandha–Vāsudeva Saṃvāda: Kṣātra-Dharma, Pride, and the Ethics of Coercion
Sabhā Parva, Adhyāya 20
ईशौ हि तौ महात्मानौ सर्वकार्यप्रवर्तिनौ | धर्मकामार्थलोकानां कार्याणां च प्रवर्तकौ
īśau hi tau mahātmānau sarvakāryapravartinau | dharmakāmārthalokānāṃ kāryāṇāṃ ca pravartakau ||
Vaiśaṃpāyana said: Those two great-souled ones are indeed the supreme Lords who set all undertakings in motion. They govern every activity and also impel people devoted to dharma, desire, and worldly prosperity to engage in the actions appropriate to those aims—thus they function as the divine guides (Nara and Nārāyaṇa) behind all human striving.
वैशग्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse presents Nara and Nārāyaṇa as the divine regulators of action: all human pursuits—dharma (duty), kāma (desire), and artha (prosperity)—operate within a higher moral-cosmic governance. Ethical life is thus not random; it is guided and sustained by a supreme order that directs beings toward appropriate action.
Vaiśaṃpāyana identifies and praises the two exalted figures (understood as Nara and Nārāyaṇa), describing their lordship over all activities and their role in prompting people to undertake actions aligned with dharma, kāma, and artha. The statement functions as a theological framing within the Sabha Parva narration.