Shloka 26
Nāga–Nāgabhāryā Saṃvāda: Varṇa-Dharma, Gṛhastha-Discipline, and Mokṣa-Self-Inquiry
Mahābhārata 12.347
ये यजन्ति पितृन् देवान् गुरूंश्वैवातिथींस्तथा । गाश्चैव द्विजमुख्यांश्ष पृथिवीं मातरं यथा
ye yajanti pitṝn devān gurūṁś caivātithīṁs tathā | gāś caiva dvijamukhyāṁś ca pṛthivīṁ mātaraṁ yathā ||
Nārada said: Those who, with reverence, worship the ancestors and the gods, and likewise honor their teachers and guests—who also venerate cows, the foremost among the twice-born, and the earth as one would one’s own mother—such people are, in truth, worshipping Lord Viṣṇu alone; for Viṣṇu abides as the inner Self within the bodies of all beings.
नारद उवाच
Educational Q&A
True worship of Viṣṇu is expressed through dharmic conduct: honoring ancestors and gods, serving teachers, welcoming guests, protecting cows, respecting exemplary Brāhmaṇas, and treating the earth like one’s mother—because Viṣṇu dwells as the inner Self in all beings.
In Śānti Parva, Nārada instructs on dharma by redefining devotion: he links common social and ritual obligations (pitṛs, devas, guru, atithi, cows, the learned, and the earth) to a single theological principle—service to them is ultimately service to Viṣṇu present within all.