Shloka 107
Atithi-satkāra and the Consolation of Wise Counsel (अतिथिसत्कारः प्रज्ञानवचनस्य च पराश्वासनम्)
नरनारायणो पूर्व तपस्तेपतुरव्ययम्,पहले नर और नारायणने जब धर्ममय रथपर आरूढ़ हो गन्धमादन पर्वतपर अक्षय तप किया था, उसी समय प्रजापति दक्षका यज्ञ आरम्भ हुआ
nara-nārāyaṇau pūrvaṁ tapas tepatūr avyayam | yadā dharma-maye rathe samārūḍhau gandhamādana-parvate 'kṣayaṁ tapaḥ cakratuḥ, tadā prajāpateḥ dakṣasya yajña ārabdhaḥ ||
In former times, Nara and Nārāyaṇa undertook imperishable austerities. When those two, mounted upon a chariot founded on dharma, performed inexhaustible penance on Mount Gandhamādana, at that very time the sacrifice of Prajāpati Dakṣa was set in motion. The passage frames tapas (self-discipline) and yajña (sacred duty) as parallel, world-sustaining acts, linking personal spiritual restraint with the ethical order upheld through ritual responsibility.
तामिन्द्र उवाच गच्छ नहुषस्त्वया वाच्योथ<पूर्वेण मामृषियुक्तेन यानेन त्वमधिरूढ
Educational Q&A
The verse juxtaposes two pillars of dharma: inner discipline (tapas) and outward sacred responsibility (yajña). By synchronizing Nara–Nārāyaṇa’s austerities with Dakṣa’s sacrifice, it suggests that both ascetic restraint and properly ordered ritual action uphold the moral and cosmic order.
The text recalls an ancient moment: Nara and Nārāyaṇa perform inexhaustible penance on Mount Gandhamādana while mounted on a dharma-based chariot, and simultaneously Prajāpati Dakṣa begins his great sacrifice. The narration sets a mythic backdrop connecting renowned tapas with a major yajña event.