Shloka 16
Yudhiṣṭhira’s Post-Accession Settlements and Approach to Vāsudeva (युधिष्ठिरस्य राज्यस्थापनं वासुदेवाभिगमनं च)
नौपम्यं विद्यते तस्य त्रिषु लोकेषु किंचन । सो5भिगम्य महात्मानं विष्णुं पुरुषविग्रहम्
naupamyaṃ vidyate tasya triṣu lokeṣu kiṃcana | so 'bhigamya mahātmānaṃ viṣṇuṃ puruṣa-vigraham ||
For him there exists no comparison anywhere in the three worlds. Therefore he approached the great-souled Viṣṇu, who had assumed a human form—acknowledging the unsurpassed divine standard that guides right understanding and conduct.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse asserts Viṣṇu’s incomparable status across the three worlds, implying that ultimate authority for dharma and right understanding rests in the unsurpassed divine; approaching such a being symbolizes seeking the highest standard of truth and guidance.
Vaiśampāyana narrates that someone (implied by context) recognizes that no one equals him in the three worlds and therefore goes to meet the great-souled Viṣṇu, who is present in a human embodiment (puruṣa-vigraha).