Shloka 153
नारायणीयमाख्यानम् (Nārāyaṇīyam Ākhyānam) — Nārada’s Return and Hymnic Consolidation
आसीत् किल महाराज शुकाभिपतने तदा । महाराज! देवता, गन्धर्व, ऋषि, यक्ष, राक्षस और विद्याधरोंने उनका पूजन किया। वहाँसे शुकदेवजीके ऊपर उठते समय उनके चढ़ाये हुए दिव्य पुष्पोंकी वर्षसे वहाँ सब ओरका सारा आकाश छा गया
āsīt kila mahārāja śukābhipatane tadā | mahārāja! devatā gandharva ṛṣi yakṣa rākṣasa ca vidyādharaś ca tān apūjayan | tataḥ śukadevasya ūrdhvaṃ samutthitasya teṣāṃ divyapuṣpavṛṣṭyā sarvato gaganaṃ samantāc chāditam abhavat |
Bhishma said: “O great king, it is said that at that time, when Śuka was about to depart, the gods, Gandharvas, sages, Yakṣas, Rākṣasas, and Vidyādharas honored him with worship. And as Śukadeva rose upward from that place, a rain of celestial flowers offered by them spread everywhere, so that the whole sky in every direction seemed covered.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
True spiritual attainment commands reverence beyond social or worldly rank: even diverse celestial orders honor the realized sage. The shower of divine flowers symbolizes recognition of inner purity, renunciation, and steadfast dharma.
Bhishma recounts a traditional episode: as Śukadeva departs by rising upward, gods and other celestial beings worship him and offer celestial flowers, whose shower fills and covers the sky in all directions.