Shloka 14

Adhyāya 353 — Kathā-prāmāṇya (Authority of Transmission) and the Brāhmaṇa’s Ascetic Resolve

Devanagari script

तत्र यः परमात्मा हि स नित्यं निर्गुण: स्मृतः । स हि नारायणो ज्ञेय: सर्वात्मा पुरुषो हि सः,इनमें जो परमात्मा है, वह नित्य निर्गुण माना गया है। उसीको नारायण नामसे जानना चाहिये। वही सर्वात्मा पुरुष है

Transliteration

tatra yaḥ paramātmā hi sa nityaṃ nirguṇaḥ smṛtaḥ | sa hi nārāyaṇo jñeyaḥ sarvātmā puruṣo hi saḥ ||

Translation

ഇവയിൽ പരമാത്മാവ് നിത്യമായി നിർഗുണനെന്ന് സ്മൃതിയിൽ പറയുന്നു. അവനെയാണ് ‘നാരായണൻ’ എന്ന നാമത്തിൽ അറിയേണ്ടത്; അവൻ തന്നെയാണ് സർവാത്മ പുരുഷൻ.

Word by Word

तत्रthere/in that context

यःwho/that which

परमात्माthe Supreme Self

हिindeed/for

सःhe/that

नित्यम्always/eternally

निर्गुणःwithout qualities (nirguṇa)

स्मृतःis considered/remembered as

सःhe/that

हिindeed

नारायणःNārāyaṇa

ज्ञेयःis to be known/should be understood

सर्वात्माthe Self of all

पुरुषःPerson/Puruṣa

हिindeed

सःhe/that

Speaker

पितामह उवाच

Characters & Entities

Bhīṣma (Pitāmaha)

Paramātmā

Nārāyaṇa

Puruṣa

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse identifies the Supreme Self as eternal and beyond the three guṇas, and equates that transcendent reality with Nārāyaṇa, who is also the indwelling Self of all beings (sarvātmā) and the cosmic Person (puruṣa).

What is happening in the narrative?

In Śānti Parva, Bhīṣma instructs on dharma and higher knowledge; here he clarifies a theological-metaphysical point: the ultimate principle being discussed should be understood as the nirguṇa Paramātmā, known by the name Nārāyaṇa, present as the Self in all.