Shloka 4
Nāga–Nāgabhāryā Saṃvāda: Varṇa-Dharma, Gṛhastha-Discipline, and Mokṣa-Self-Inquiry
Mahābhārata 12.347
नारद उवाच त्वयैतत् कथित पूर्वे दैवं कर्तव्यमित्यपि | दैवतं च परो यज्ञ: परमात्मा सनातन:
nārada uvāca | tvayaitat kathitaṃ pūrve daivaṃ kartavyam ity api | daivataṃ ca paro yajñaḥ paramātmā sanātanaḥ ||
ナーラダは言った。「主よ、あなたご自身が以前に説かれました。神々に捧げ、聖なる規範によって守られる神聖な務めは、すべての者にとって必ず果たすべきものだと。神々は祭祀（ヤジュニャ）によって最もよく讃えられ、そして祭祀の最高の意義とは、永遠なる至上の自己（パラマートマン）そのものにほかなりません。」
नारद उवाच
Educational Q&A
That daiva-karmas—religiously enjoined acts directed toward the divine—are obligatory, because the highest form of honoring the divine is yajña; and in its deepest meaning yajña is identified with the eternal Paramātmā, making sacrificial duty a spiritual discipline rather than mere ritual.
Narada recalls and cites the interlocutor’s earlier instruction: that divine duties must be performed. He supports this by linking deity, sacrifice, and the Supreme Self—arguing that yajña is the supreme mode of worship and is ultimately grounded in the eternal Paramātmā.