Shloka 84

Nāgendra–Brāhmaṇa Saṃvāda: Praśna-vidhi and Dharmic Approach on the Gomatī Riverbank

Devanagari script

अपां चापि गुणा राजन्‌ रसा नारायणात्मका: । ज्योतिषां च परं रूप॑ स्मृतं नारायणात्मकम्‌,राजन्‌! जलका गुण रस भी नारायणका ही स्वरूप है। तेजका उत्तम गुण रूप भी नारायणमय ही है

Transliteration

apāṃ cāpi guṇā rājan rasā nārāyaṇātmakāḥ | jyotiṣāṃ ca paraṃ rūpaṃ smṛtaṃ nārāyaṇātmakam, rājan |

Translation

Vaiśaṃpāyana berkata: “Wahai Raja, sifat-sifat dan rasa air juga adalah dari hakikat Nārāyaṇa. Dan rupa tertinggi bagi kuasa-kuasa cahaya (api, sinar, seri) juga diingati sebagai Nārāyaṇa pada intinya.”

Word by Word

अपाम्of waters

चand

अपिalso

गुणाःqualities

राजन्O king

रसाःtastes/essences

नारायणात्मकाःhaving the nature of Nārāyaṇa; consisting of Nārāyaṇa

ज्योतिषाम्of lights/luminous bodies

चand

परम्supreme, highest

रूपम्form; nature

स्मृतम्is remembered/considered

नारायणात्मकम्of the nature of Nārāyaṇa; consisting of Nārāyaṇa

राजन्O king

Speaker

वैशग्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

Vaiśaṃpāyana

Nārāyaṇa

rājan (the king addressed)

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 divine immanence: the finest qualities of water (its rasa/essence) and the highest form of luminosity are to be understood as Nārāyaṇa in essence, encouraging a dharmic vision that sees the Divine pervading the world’s fundamental realities.

What is happening in the narrative?

Vaiśaṃpāyana continues an instructive discourse to a king, explaining how Nārāyaṇa is present not only as a transcendent deity but also as the inner essence of elemental phenomena such as water and light.