Shloka 85
Āścarya-kathana: Brāhmaṇa–Nāga Dialogue on Sūrya (Vivasvat) and the ‘Second Sun’ Phenomenon
एवं हि स महाभागो नारदो गुरवे मम । श्वेतानां यतिनां चाह एकान्तगतिमव्ययाम्,इस प्रकार महाभाग नारदजीने मेरे गुरु व्यासजीसे श्वेतवस्त्रधारी गृहस्थों और काषायवस्त्रधारी संन्यासियोंकी अविनश्वर एकान्त गतिका वर्णन किया है
evaṁ hi sa mahābhāgo nārado gurave mama | śvetānāṁ yatināṁ cāha ekāntagatim avyayām ||
Demikianlah Nārada yang mulia telah menghuraikan kepada guruku Vyāsa jalan tertinggi yang tunggal dan tidak binasa—disebut berkenaan dengan para perumah tangga berpakaian putih dan juga para pertapa—menunjukkan bahawa perlindungan terakhir terletak pada penarikan batin yang tidak goyah serta keteguhan di atas jalan itu.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse points to an imperishable 'ekānta-gati'—a final, exclusive spiritual course grounded in inner withdrawal and single-pointed pursuit of liberation—presented as applicable across outward modes of life, whether one is a white-clad practitioner/householder or an ascetic.
Vaiśampāyana reports that the sage Nārada instructed Vyāsa (the narrator’s teacher), explaining the enduring highest destination or path associated with different life-styles—those marked by white clothing and those of ascetic striving—within the broader Shānti Parva discourse on dharma and liberation.