ब्राह्मणा ऊचु. नरो नारायणश्चैव तापसाविति न: श्रुतम् । आयातीौ मानुषे लोके ताभ्यां युध्यस्व पार्थिव,ब्राह्मण बोले--भूपाल! हमने सुना है कि वे नर-नारायण नामवाले तपस्वी हैं और इस समय मनुष्यलोकमें आये हैं। तुम उन्हीं दोनोंके साथ युद्ध करो
brāhmaṇā ūcuḥ | naro nārāyaṇaś caiva tāpasāv iti naḥ śrutam | āyātau mānuṣe loke tābhyāṃ yudhyasva pārthiva |
The Brahmins said: “O king, we have heard that they are the ascetic sages Nara and Nārāyaṇa. They have now come into the human world; therefore, fight with those two.”
वैशम्पायन उवाच
The verse highlights the tension between royal valor and spiritual authority: even a king’s martial duty is framed in relation to higher, ascetic power (Nara-Nārāyaṇa), implying that worldly strength must recognize the supremacy of tapas (austerity) and divine order.
A group of Brahmins addresses a king, identifying two formidable figures as the ascetic sages Nara and Nārāyaṇa who have appeared in the human realm, and they urge the king to engage them in battle.