Shloka 6

दक्षिणदिशि तीर्थवर्णनम्

Southern Tīrthas: Godāvarī to Dvāravatī

Devanagari script

तथाहमपि जानामि नरनारायणावृषी । शक्तो5यमित्यतो मत्वा मया स प्रेषितो$र्जुन:,“मैं भी ऐसा ही समझता हूँ कि श्रीकृष्ण और अर्जुन सुप्रसिद्ध नर-नारायण ऋषि हैं। अर्जुनको शक्तिशाली समझकर ही मैंने उसे दिव्यास्त्रोंकी प्राप्तिके लिये भेजा है। देवपुत्र अर्जुन इन्द्रसे कम नहीं हैं। यह जानकर ही मैंने उसे देवराज इन्द्रका दर्शन करने और उनसे दिव्यास्त्रोंको प्राप्त करनेके लिये भेजा है। भीष्म और द्रोण अतिरथी वीर हैं। कृपाचार्य तथा अश्वत्थामाको भी जीतना कठिन है। धृतराष्ट्रपुत्र दुर्योधनने इन सभी महारथियोंको युद्धके लिये वरण कर लिया है

Transliteration

tathāham api jānāmi nara-nārāyaṇāv ṛṣī | śakto 'yam ity ato matvā mayā sa preṣito 'rjunaḥ ||

Translation

Vaiśaṃpāyana said: “I too know it to be so—that Kṛṣṇa and Arjuna are the famed sages Nara and Nārāyaṇa. Judging Arjuna to be capable, I therefore sent him forth to obtain the divine weapons. This is spoken to affirm both Arjuna’s fitness and the righteousness of seeking celestial power for a just cause, even as formidable warriors stand aligned with Duryodhana.”

Word by Word

तथाthus, in the same way

अहम्I

अपिalso, even

जानामिI know

नरनारायणौNara and Narayana

ऋषीtwo sages

शक्तःcapable, powerful

अयम्this (man), he

इतिthus (quotative)

अतःtherefore, from that

मत्वाhaving thought/considered

मयाby me

सःhe

प्रेषितःsent, dispatched

अर्जुनःArjuna

Speaker

वैशम्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

Vaiśaṃpāyana

Kṛṣṇa

Arjuna

Nara

Nārāyaṇa

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse underscores discernment in dharma: when a righteous objective requires extraordinary means, a qualified person may be sent to obtain divine resources. It also frames Kṛṣṇa and Arjuna as manifestations of the Nara–Nārāyaṇa ideal—spiritual authority joined with heroic action.

What is happening in the narrative?

Vaiśaṃpāyana explains that, recognizing Arjuna’s capability and his divine identity linked with Nara–Nārāyaṇa, he (or the guiding authority in the story’s frame) dispatches Arjuna to seek celestial weapons—setting up Arjuna’s journey to the gods for divyāstras in preparation for the coming conflict.