Shloka 15

कण्वोपदेशः—नश्वरबलविवेकः तथा मातलिगुणकेश्याः आख्यानारम्भः

Kaṇva’s Counsel on Impermanent Power; Opening of the Mātali–Guṇakeśī Narrative

Devanagari script

श्रूयेते ती महात्मानी नरनारायणावुभौ । तपो घोरमनिर्देश्यं तप्येते गन्धमादने,सुना है, वे दोनों महात्मा नर और नारायण गन्धमादन पर्वतपर ऐसी घोर तपस्या कर रहे हैं, जिसका वाणीद्वारा वर्णन नहीं हो सकता

Transliteration

śrūyete tau mahātmānau nara-nārāyaṇāv ubhau | tapo ghoraṃ anirdeśyaṃ tapyete gandhamādane ||

Translation

Vaiśaṃpāyana said: It is heard that those two great-souled beings, Nara and Nārāyaṇa, are performing on Mount Gandhamādana an awe-inspiring austerity—so extraordinary that it cannot truly be conveyed by speech.

Word by Word

श्रूयेतेare heard / are said to be

इतिthus

महात्मानौtwo great-souled ones

नरनारायणौNara and Narayana

उभौboth

तपःausterity, penance

घोरम्terrible, severe

अनिर्देश्यम्indescribable

तप्येतेthey practice (austerity) / they perform penance

गन्धमादनेon (Mount) Gandhamadana

Speaker

वैशम्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

Vaiśaṃpāyana

Nara

Nārāyaṇa

Gandhamādana (mountain)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Cross References

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse elevates tapas (disciplined austerity) as a supreme moral and spiritual force: true self-restraint and inner power can be so profound that ordinary language cannot capture it, implying that dharmic strength is rooted in inner discipline rather than mere outward action.

What is happening in the narrative?

Vaiśaṃpāyana reports a traditional account that the two exalted figures Nara and Nārāyaṇa are residing on Mount Gandhamādana and performing an extremely formidable, indescribable austerity there.