Shloka 15
अश्वशिरो-आख्यानम्
Aśvaśiras / Hayaśiras Narrative: Retrieval of the Vedas
राजन्! नारदजी सम्पूर्ण लोकोंमें विचरते थे; अतः वे शीघ्रगामी मुनि बदरिकाश्रमके उस विशाल प्रदेशमें घूमते-घामते आ पहुँचे, जो महान् प्राणियोंसे युक्त था ।।
rājan! nāradaḥ sampūrṇeṣu lokeṣu vicarati sma; ataḥ sa śīghragāmī muniḥ badarikāśramasya tasmin viśāle pradeśe bhraman bhraman ājagāma, yo mahāprāṇibhir yuktaḥ. tayor āhvika-velāyāṃ tasya kautūhalaṃ tv abhūt. idaṃ tad āspadaṃ kṛtsnaṃ yasmin lokāḥ pratiṣṭhitāḥ.
Bhīṣma dit : « Ô Roi, Nārada avait coutume d’errer à travers tous les mondes. Ainsi le sage au pas rapide, cheminant sans cesse, parvint à la vaste contrée de Badarikāśrama, demeure d’êtres illustres. À l’heure du rite du soir, la curiosité s’éveilla en lui : “Voici ce séjour sacré tout entier sur lequel les mondes eux-mêmes prennent appui.” »
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights reverence for sacred places and disciplined ritual time: a great sage, even while roaming freely, arrives at a holy hermitage and, at the proper hour of worship, reflects with awe on the deeper foundation of the worlds—suggesting that dharma is supported by sacred order, right timing, and contemplative inquiry.
Bhishma narrates that Narada, who travels across all realms, comes to the vast region of Badarikashrama inhabited by exalted beings. During the evening-rite time, Narada becomes curious and recognizes the place as a profound ‘abode’ or support upon which the worlds are established.