Shloka 19
Adhyāya 348: Nāga–Nīgabhāryā Saṃvāda on Anger, Hope, and Ethical Response
असुरवधकरस्तपसां निधि: सुमहतां यशसां च भाजनम् | मधुकैटभहा कृतधर्मविदां गतिदो- 5भयदो मखभागहरोडस्तु शरणं स ते,असुरोंका वध करनेवाले, तपस्याकी निधि, विशाल यशके भाजन, मधु और कैटभके हन्ता, सत्ययुगके धर्मोका ज्ञान रखकर उनका पालन करनेवालोंको सदगति प्रदान करनेवाले, अभयदाता तथा यज्ञका भाग ग्रहण करनेवाले भगवान् नारायण तुम्हें शरण दें
asuravadhakaraḥ tapasāṁ nidhiḥ sumahatāṁ yaśasāṁ ca bhājanam | madhukaiṭabhahā kṛtadharmavidāṁ gatido ’bhayado makhabhāgaharaś cāstu śaraṇaṁ sa te nārāyaṇaḥ ||
असुरांचा वध करणारा, तपस्येची निधी, महान यशाचा आधार; मधु-कैटभाचा संहारक; स्थापित धर्म जाणून त्याचे पालन करणाऱ्यांना सद्गती देणारा; अभयदाता व यज्ञभाग ग्रहण करणारा—तो भगवान नारायण तुला शरण जावो।
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse frames Nārāyaṇa as the ultimate refuge: He protects (abhayada), upholds and rewards dharma (gatida to kṛtadharmavid), and is honored through yajña (makhabhāgahara). Ethically, it teaches that safety and right destiny arise from devotion aligned with disciplined tapas, righteous conduct, and reverent offering.
Vaiśampāyana delivers an invocation/blessing, praising Nārāyaṇa with epithets—destroyer of Asuras, slayer of Madhu and Kaiṭabha, giver of fearlessness and good destiny—and prays that this deity become the listener’s shelter. It functions as a protective and dharmic benediction within the Śānti-parvan discourse.