Shloka 20
अर्हणनिर्णयः
Decision on the Highest Honor at the Assembly
इत्येतां नारदश्निन्तां चिन्तयामास सर्ववित् । हरिं नारायणं ध्यात्वा यज्ैरीज्यन्तमी श्वरम्,धर्मज्ञ नारदजीने इसी पुरातन वृत्तान्तका स्मरण किया और ये भगवान् श्रीकृष्ण ही समस्त यज्ञोंके द्वारा आराधनीय, सर्वेश्वर नारायण हैं; ऐसा समझकर वे धर्मवेत्ताओंमें श्रेष्ठ परम बुद्धिमान् देवर्षि मेधावी धर्मराजके उस महायज्ञमें बड़े आदरके साथ बैठे रहे
iti etāṃ nāradaś cintāṃ cintayāmāsa sarvavit | hariṃ nārāyaṇaṃ dhyātvā yajñair ijyamānam īśvaram ||
Vaiśampāyana said: “Reflecting on this thought, the all-knowing Nārada contemplated Hari Nārāyaṇa—the Supreme Lord who is to be worshipped through all sacrifices. Understanding that Kṛṣṇa himself is that universal Lord, the wise divine seer, foremost among knowers of dharma, remained seated with great respect at Dharmarāja’s grand sacrifice.”
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse affirms a theological and ethical insight: the highest object of worship behind all sacrificial rites is the Supreme Lord (Hari Nārāyaṇa), identified here with Kṛṣṇa. True dharma includes recognizing the ultimate divine reality and responding with reverence rather than mere ritualism.
During Dharmarāja Yudhiṣṭhira’s great sacrifice, the sage Nārada reflects on an earlier point and meditates on Hari Nārāyaṇa. Concluding that Kṛṣṇa is that Supreme Lord worshipped by all yajñas, Nārada remains seated respectfully within the sacrificial assembly.