Shloka 83

Devanagari script

प्रवृत्तिलक्षणश्वैव धर्मो नारायणात्मक: । नारायणात्मको गन्धो भूमौ श्रेष्ठतम: स्मृत:,प्रवृत्तिकूप धर्म भी नारायणका ही स्वरूप है। भूमिका श्रेष्ठम गुण गन्ध भी नारायणमय ही है

Transliteration

pravṛttilakṣaṇaś caiva dharmo nārāyaṇātmakaḥ | nārāyaṇātmako gandho bhūmau śreṣṭhatamaḥ smṛtaḥ ||

Translation

प्रवृत्तिलक्षण असलेला धर्मही नारायणस्वरूपच आहे. आणि भूमीत जो श्रेष्ठतम गंध मानला जातो, तोही नारायणमयच स्मृत आहे.

Word by Word

प्रवृत्ति-लक्षणःhaving the characteristic of pravṛtti (worldly activity)

चand

एवindeed/just

धर्मःdharma; righteousness; law

नारायण-आत्मकःof the nature/essence of Nārāyaṇa

नारायण-आत्मकःof the nature of Nārāyaṇa

गन्धःsmell; fragrance; (subtle) quality

भूमौin/on the earth

श्रेष्ठतमःthe best; most excellent

स्मृतःis considered/remembered (as)

Speaker

वैशग्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

Vaiśaṃpāyana

Nārāyaṇa

Bhūmi (earth)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse teaches a theistic vision of dharma: the active, worldly path of duty (pravṛtti-dharma) is not separate from the Divine but is of Nārāyaṇa’s very essence. Even the highest natural excellence—symbolized by earth’s finest fragrance—is understood as pervaded by Nārāyaṇa, encouraging reverence for both ethical action and the natural world as expressions of the same ultimate reality.

What is happening in the narrative?

In Śānti Parva’s instruction on dharma and ultimate principles, Vaiśaṃpāyana continues the doctrinal exposition by identifying dharma and even elemental qualities of nature with Nārāyaṇa, reinforcing a unifying, devotional-metaphysical framework for understanding righteous conduct and the cosmos.