Shloka 20
Nāga–Nāgabhāryā Saṃvāda: Varṇa-Dharma, Gṛhastha-Discipline, and Mokṣa-Self-Inquiry
Mahābhārata 12.347
त्रयो मूर्तिविहीना वै पिण्डमूर्तिधरास्त्विमे । भवन्तु पितरो लोके मया सृष्टा: सनातना:
trayo mūrtivihīnā vai piṇḍamūrtidharāstvime | bhavantu pitaro loke mayā sṛṣṭāḥ sanātanāḥ ||
ナーラダは言った。「この三者は、まことは身を具えぬ無形の存在であるが、ピンダ（祖霊への供物）の触れ得る形を帯びて現れた。世において、彼らをわが創出によって生じた永遠のピトリ（祖霊）として知らしめよ。」
नारद उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse links the invisible ancestral realm to visible ethical practice: though the Pitṛs are formless, they become accessible through dharmic rites such as offering piṇḍa in śrāddha. It underscores continuity of obligation—care for ancestors as part of sustaining cosmic and social order.
Nārada is describing the origin/status of the Pitṛs, stating that three formless beings manifest through the piṇḍa-form and are to be recognized in the world as eternal ancestors created by him.