Shloka 10

Devanagari script

नरनारायणौ यौ तौ पुराणावृषिसत्तमौ । ताविमावनुजानीहि हृषीकेशधनंजयौ,“नर-नारायण नामसे प्रसिद्ध जो पुरातन मुनीश्वर हैं” वे ही श्रीकृष्ण और अर्जुनके रूपमें अवतीर्ण हुए हैं, यह बात आप जान लें

Transliteration

naranārāyaṇau yau tau purāṇāvṛṣisattamau | tāvimāv anujānīhi hṛṣīkeśa-dhanañjayau ||

Translation

Vaiśampāyana said: “Know this for certain: those two ancient and foremost sages, Nara and Nārāyaṇa, have here manifested as these very two—Hṛṣīkeśa (Kṛṣṇa) and Dhanañjaya (Arjuna).”

Word by Word

नरनारायणौNara and Narayana

यौwho (two)

तौthose two

पुराणौancient

ऋषिसत्तमौbest of sages (two)

तौthose two

इमौthese two

अनुजानीहिknow/recognize; please understand

हृषीकेशO Hrishikesha (Krishna)

धनंजयौO Dhananjaya (Arjuna) (addressed as two)

Speaker

वैशम्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

Vaiśampāyana

Nara

Nārāyaṇa

Hṛṣīkeśa (Kṛṣṇa)

Dhanañjaya (Arjuna)

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 teaches recognition of a deeper, dharmic identity behind historical figures: Kṛṣṇa and Arjuna are presented as manifestations of the primordial sage-pair Nara–Nārāyaṇa, implying that righteous action is sustained by the union of disciplined human endeavor (Nara/Arjuna) and divine guidance (Nārāyaṇa/Kṛṣṇa).

What is happening in the narrative?

Vaiśampāyana identifies Kṛṣṇa (Hṛṣīkeśa) and Arjuna (Dhanañjaya) with the ancient sages Nara and Nārāyaṇa, establishing their exceptional status and legitimizing their role in the unfolding dharmic narrative.