Shloka 23
Nāga–Nāgabhāryā Saṃvāda: Varṇa-Dharma, Gṛhastha-Discipline, and Mokṣa-Self-Inquiry
Mahābhārata 12.347
पितामहपिता चैव अहमेवात्र कारणम् | इत्येतदुक्त्वा वचनं देवदेवो वृषाकपि:
pitāmahapitā caiva aham evātra kāraṇam | ity etad uktvā vacanaṁ devadevo vṛṣākapiḥ ||
Nārada dit : «Je suis en vérité le père du Grand-Père (Brahmā), et moi seul suis ici la cause de ce monde.» Après ces paroles, le Dieu des dieux — Vṛṣākapi (Viṣṇu) — sur la montagne Varāha accomplit en détail l’offrande aux ancêtres (piṇḍadāna). Prenant la forme des Pitṛs, il n’adora nul autre que lui-même, puis disparut en ce lieu même.
नारद उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse teaches that the supreme deity is the ultimate cause—even beyond Brahmā—yet still upholds dharma by performing and honoring ancestral rites. It models humility within supremacy: cosmic sovereignty does not negate ritual responsibility.
Nārada reports that Viṣṇu (called Vṛṣākapi) declares himself the source of all, then performs piṇḍadāna on Varāha-mountain, worshipping himself in the form of the Pitṛs, and finally vanishes from the spot.