Shloka 393
Āścarya-kathana: Brāhmaṇa–Nāga Dialogue on Sūrya (Vivasvat) and the ‘Second Sun’ Phenomenon
तज्जगादारविन्दाक्षो ब्रह्मण: पश्यतस्तदा । नृपश्रेष्ठ! फिर पूर्वकालमें ब्रह्माजीने नासिकाके द्वारा जब पाँचवाँ जन्म ग्रहण किया
tajjagādāravindākṣo brahmaṇaḥ paśyatastadā | nṛpaśreṣṭha! punaḥ pūrvakāle brahmājīne nāsikayā dvārā yadā pañcamaṃ janma gṛhītavān, tadā svayaṃ kamalanayano bhagavān nārāyaṇo hariḥ brahmaṇaḥ sammukhe ’sya dharmasya upadeśaṃ cakāra |
Vaiśampāyana berkata: Pada ketika itu, Tuhan bermata teratai bersabda, sementara Brahmā menyaksikan. Wahai raja yang terbaik! Pada zaman dahulu, ketika Brahmā mengambil kelahiran kelima melalui lubang hidung, Bhagavān Nārāyaṇa—Hari sendiri, yang bermata teratai—mengajarkan dharma ini secara langsung di hadapan Brahmā.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The passage grounds dharma in divine revelation: Nārāyaṇa Himself instructs Brahmā, implying that ethical order is not merely human convention but a cosmic principle transmitted from the Supreme to the creator-god.
Vaiśampāyana narrates a primordial episode: in an earlier age, during a special ‘fifth birth’ of Brahmā (described as arising through the nostril), the lotus-eyed Nārāyaṇa/Hari speaks and teaches ‘this dharma’ directly before Brahmā.