Shloka 12
Nāga–Nāgabhāryā Saṃvāda: Varṇa-Dharma, Gṛhastha-Discipline, and Mokṣa-Self-Inquiry
Mahābhārata 12.347
नरनारायणावूचत॒ु: इमां हि धरणी पूर्व नष्टां सागरमेखलाम् । गोविन्द उज्जहाराशु वाराहं रूपमास्थित:
naranārāyaṇāv ūcatuḥ: imāṃ hi dharaṇīṃ pūrvaṃ naṣṭāṃ sāgaramekhalām | govinda ujjahārāśu varāhaṃ rūpam āsthitaḥ ||
Nara and Nārāyaṇa said: “O sage, this earth—girdled by the ocean—had formerly disappeared, submerged in the waters of the single cosmic flood. At that time Govinda, assuming the form of a Boar, swiftly lifted her up and restored her.”
नारद उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the dharmic role of the Divine as protector and restorer: when the world-order is threatened (the earth ‘lost’ in the cosmic waters), Govinda assumes an appropriate form and acts swiftly to uphold stability and welfare. Ethically, it frames power as responsibility—true sovereignty protects and restores rather than abandons.
Nara and Nārāyaṇa recount an ancient event: the earth, encircled by the ocean, had disappeared beneath the primeval flood. Govinda then took the Varāha form and lifted the earth back up, rescuing and re-establishing it.