Shloka 19
Cyavana’s Reconciliation with Indra; Tīrtha-Indexing at Ārcīka-parvata and Yamunā
Chapter 125
शान्तनुश्नात्र राजेन्द्र शुनकश्न नराधिप: । नरनारायणौ चोभौ स्थान प्राप्ताः:सनातनम्,राजेन्द्र! यहाँ राजा शान्तनु, शुनक और नर-नारायण--ये सभी नित्य धाममें गये हैं
Śāntanuś ca nṛpaśārdūla rājendra Śunakaś ca narādhipaḥ | Nara-Nārāyaṇau cobhau sthānaṃ prāptāḥ sanātanam ||
Lomasha said: “O best of kings, O Rājendra, King Śāntanu, the royal sage Śunaka, and the two divine seers Nara and Nārāyaṇa—all have attained the eternal abode. Their lives exemplify the passage from righteous kingship and ascetic wisdom to the imperishable goal.”
लोगमश उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores that both righteous worldly life (exemplified by a king like Śāntanu) and spiritual excellence (exemplified by sages like Śunaka and the divine pair Nara–Nārāyaṇa) culminate in the same highest end: attainment of the eternal state. It affirms the Mahābhārata’s ethical vision that dharma, when lived with integrity, leads beyond mortality.
Lomaśa, addressing Yudhiṣṭhira with honorifics, lists revered figures—Śāntanu, Śunaka, and Nara–Nārāyaṇa—and declares that they have reached the ‘sanātana’ abode. The statement functions as a consoling and instructive reminder during the forest narrative: great exemplars have already completed their journey to the imperishable goal.