Shloka 286
Nāga-āyatana-darśana-pratīkṣā — The Brāhmaṇa’s Request and Waiting on the Gomatī
तदेतन्मे यथातत्त्वं सर्वमाख्यातुमहसि । श्वेतद्वीपसे लौटे हुए उन नारदजीसे महात्मा नर-नारायण ऋषियोंने क्या बात की थी? ये सब बातें आप यथार्थरूपसे बतानेकी कृपा करें
tad etan me yathātattvaṃ sarvam ākhyātum arhasi | śvetadvīpāt nivṛttena nāradena saha mahātmabhyāṃ nara-nārāyaṇābhyāṃ ṛṣibhyāṃ kā vārtā kṛtā | etat sarvaṃ yathārtha-rūpeṇa vaktum anugrahaṃ kuru ||
Janamejaya disse: “Peço-te que me relates tudo, exatamente como aconteceu. Quando Nārada retornou de Śvetadvīpa, que conversa tiveram com ele os grandes rishis Nara e Nārāyaṇa? Sê bondoso e conta-me tudo com fidelidade e precisão.”
जनमेजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse foregrounds dharmic inquiry: a listener should seek an account “as it truly is” (yathātattvam), valuing accuracy, faithful transmission, and humility before sacred knowledge.
King Janamejaya asks the narrator to recount, in full and truthfully, what Nārada reported or discussed after returning from Śvetadvīpa, specifically the conversation between Nārada and the great sages Nara and Nārāyaṇa.