Shloka 127
Atithi-satkāra and the Consolation of Wise Counsel (अतिथिसत्कारः प्रज्ञानवचनस्य च पराश्वासनम्)
“जो सम्पूर्ण जगत्का उत्पादक, अविनाशी और अव्यक्त ईश्वर हैं, जिन्हें ज्ञानी पुरुष कूटस्थ, निर्दधन्द्र, कर्ता और अकर्ता मानते हैं, व्यक्त-भावको प्राप्त हुए उन्हीं परमेश्वरकी यह एक कल्याणमयी मूर्ति है ।।
arjuna uvāca | yo sampūrṇa-jagataḥ utpādakaḥ avināśī ca avyaktas īśvaraḥ, yaṃ jñāninaḥ puruṣāḥ kūṭasthaṃ nirdvandvaṃ kartāram akartāraṃ ca manyante, vyakta-bhāvaṃ prāptaḥ sa eva parameśvaraḥ eṣāṃ kalyāṇamayī ekā mūrtiḥ | naro nārāyaṇaś caiva jātau dharma-kulodvahau | tapasā mahatā yuktau deva-śreṣṭhau mahā-vratī ||
Arjuna said: He who is the source of the entire universe—imperishable, unmanifest, and the Lord—whom the wise regard as the immutable (kūṭastha), beyond dualities, and yet as both agent and non-agent: that very Supreme Lord, having assumed a manifest mode, is here in a single auspicious form. In the lineage of Dharma have been born the two exalted ones, Nara and Nārāyaṇa—foremost among the divine, great in vows, and endowed with mighty austerity.
अर्जुन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse reconciles transcendence and immanence: the Supreme is unmanifest, immutable, and beyond dualities, yet can appear in an auspicious manifest form for the welfare of the world. It also elevates ascetic discipline (tapas) and great vows as marks of divine excellence in Nara–Nārāyaṇa.
Arjuna identifies the divine status of Nara and Nārāyaṇa, describing them as manifestations of the Supreme Lord. He praises their birth in the Dharma-lineage and their greatness in austerity and vows, framing them as exemplary divine sages within the Shānti Parva’s ethical-spiritual discourse.