Shloka 22
Nāga-āyatana-darśana-pratīkṣā — The Brāhmaṇa’s Request and Waiting on the Gomatī
ब्रह्मन! मेरे सभी पूर्वज धन्य थे, जिनका हित और कल्याण करनेके लिये साक्षात् जनार्दन तैयार रहते थे ।। तपसाथ सुदृश्यो हि भगवान् लोकपूजित: । य॑ दृष्टवन्तस्ते साक्षाच्छीवत्साडुकविभूषणम्,लोकपूजित भगवान् नारायणका दर्शन तो तपस्यासे ही हो सकता है; किंतु मेरे पितामहोंने श्रीवत्सके चिह्से विभूषित उन भगवानका साक्षात् दर्शन अनायास ही पा लिया था
Janamejaya uvāca |
Brahman! mama sarve pūrvajā dhanyā āsan, yeṣāṁ hita-kalyāṇārthaṁ sākṣāj Janārdano 'pi prastuto bhavati ||
Tapasā tu sudṛśyo hi bhagavān loka-pūjitaḥ |
Ye dṛṣṭavantaste sākṣāc chrīvatsāṅka-vibhūṣaṇam, loka-pūjitaṁ bhagavantaṁ Nārāyaṇam ||
Janamejaya said: “O Brahmin, blessed indeed were all my forefathers—for their welfare and true good, Janārdana Himself stood ready to act. The Lord, revered by the world, is ordinarily seen only through austerity; yet my grandsires obtained an effortless, direct vision of that world-honored Nārāyaṇa, adorned with the mark of Śrīvatsa.”
जनमेजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse contrasts human effort (tapas/austerity) with divine grace: while the Lord is typically attained through disciplined ascetic practice, exceptional merit and the Lord’s compassion can grant direct vision and protection even ‘without effort.’ It highlights the ethical ideal that the divine acts for the true welfare (hita-kalyāṇa) of devotees.
King Janamejaya addresses a Brahmin sage, marveling at the fortune of his ancestors. He notes that Janārdana (Nārāyaṇa) was personally ready to secure their welfare, and that they received direct darśana of the Lord—distinguished by the Śrīvatsa mark—though such a vision is usually said to be attainable only through austerity.