Shloka 24
अश्वशिरो-आख्यानम्
Aśvaśiras / Hayaśiras Narrative: Retrieval of the Vedas
नारायणं संनिरीक्ष्य प्रसन्नेनान्तरात्मना । नमस्कृत्वा महादेवमिदं वचनमत्रवीत्,प्रसन्न चित्तसे महादेव भगवान् नारायणकी ओर देखकर नारदजीने उन्हें नमस्कार किया और इस प्रकार कहा
Nārāyaṇaṁ saṁnirīkṣya prasannenāntarātmanā | namaskṛtvā Mahādevam idaṁ vacanam abravīt ||
प्रसन्न व अंतःशुद्ध मनाने त्यांनी नारायणाकडे दृष्टि केली. महादेवांना नमस्कार करून मग त्यांनी हे वचन उच्चारले.
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse models the ethical-spiritual prerequisite for instruction: one should approach sacred discourse with inner calm (prasanna antarātman), focused attention, and reverence. It also conveys a dharmic attitude of honoring the divine—here expressed through salutations to Mahādeva while beholding Nārāyaṇa—before speaking.
In Bhīṣma’s narration, the speaker (implied by context) first beholds Nārāyaṇa with a tranquil heart, then offers respectful salutations to Mahādeva, and only afterward begins to speak. The verse functions as a transition into the ensuing statement/teaching.