Shloka 44
Nāgendra–Brāhmaṇa Saṃvāda: Praśna-vidhi and Dharmic Approach on the Gomatī Riverbank
प्रथित: पुण्डरीकाक्ष प्रधानगुणकल्पित: । त्वमीश्वरः स्वभावश्च स्वयम्भू: पुरुषोत्तम,कमलनयन! आपका पुत्र मैं शुद्ध सत्त्वमय शरीरसे उत्पन्न हुआ हूँ। आप ईश्वर, स्वभाव, स्वयम्भू एवं पुरुषोत्तम हैं
vaiśaṃpāyana uvāca |
prathitaḥ puṇḍarīkākṣaḥ pradhānaguṇakalpitaḥ |
tvam īśvaraḥ svabhāvaś ca svayambhūḥ puruṣottama, kamalanayana |
Vaiśaṃpāyana said: “You are renowned as Puṇḍarīkākṣa (the lotus-eyed Lord), constituted through the primary principles and their qualities. You are the sovereign Lord, the very ground of nature, self-born, and the Supreme Person—O lotus-eyed one.”
वैशग्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse identifies the divine (addressed as Puṇḍarīkākṣa/Puruṣottama) as both the supreme ruler (īśvara) and the foundational reality underlying nature (svabhāva), self-existent (svayambhū). Ethically, it implies that dharma and right conduct are grounded in alignment with this highest principle.
Vaiśaṃpāyana, narrating within Śānti Parva’s reflective discourse, presents a praise-statement that elevates the addressed deity as the supreme cosmic person and source of the world’s constituents (pradhāna and guṇas), setting a devotional-philosophical tone for the surrounding teaching.