Shloka 38
धर्मद्वारबहुत्वविमर्शः — Reflection on the Many ‘Doors’ of Dharma (Śānti-parva 342)
जानाम्यध्यात्मयोगांश्ष॒ यो5हं यस्माच्च भारत,भारत! मैं अध्यात्मयोगोंको जानता हूँ तथा मैं कौन हूँ और कहाँसे आया हूँ--इस बातका भी मुझे ज्ञान है। लौकिक अभ्युदयका साधक प्रवृत्तिधर्म ओर नि:श्रेयस प्रदान करनेवाला निवृत्तिधर्म भी मुझसे अज्ञात नहीं है। एकमात्र मैं सनातन पुरुष ही सम्पूर्ण मनुष्योंका सुविख्यात आश्रयभूत नारायण हूँ
jānāmy adhyātma-yogāṁś ca yo ’haṁ yasmāc ca bhārata; pravṛtti-dharmo loka-abhyudaya-sādhako nivṛtti-dharmo niḥśreyasa-pradaś ca me nājñātaḥ. ekamātraḥ sanātanaḥ puruṣa eva sarva-manuṣyāṇāṁ suvikhyāta āśrayabhūto nārāyaṇo ’ham.
O Bhārata, I know the disciplines of yoga that lead to spiritual realization; and I know who I am and from where I have come. The dharma of engagement that brings worldly prosperity, and the dharma of renunciation that grants the highest good—neither is unknown to me. Indeed, I alone am the eternal Person, Nārāyaṇa, renowned as the refuge of all human beings.
अर्जुन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse contrasts two complementary orientations of dharma: pravṛtti (engaged action that supports social and worldly welfare) and nivṛtti (renunciant turning inward that leads to niḥśreyasa, the highest good). It asserts that true spiritual authority comprehends both paths and culminates in recognizing the supreme refuge—Nārāyaṇa—as the eternal Person.
The speaker proclaims comprehensive knowledge: of adhyātma-yoga, of personal identity and origin, and of both the worldly and liberative forms of dharma. The statement culminates in a theologically charged self-identification with Nārāyaṇa, presenting the supreme Lord as the universally acknowledged refuge.