Shloka 303
Āścarya-kathana: Brāhmaṇa–Nāga Dialogue on Sūrya (Vivasvat) and the ‘Second Sun’ Phenomenon
आरण्यकेन सहितं नारायणमुखोद्भवम् । तदनन्तर ब्रह्माने भगवान् श्रीहरिको नमस्कार किया और उन्हीं नारायणदेवके मुखसे प्रकट आरण्यक, रहस्य तथा संग्रहसहित उस श्रेष्ठ धर्मका उपदेश ग्रहण किया
āraṇyakena sahitaṃ nārāyaṇamukhodbhavam | tadanantaraṃ brahmāṇe bhagavān śrīharir ko namaskāraṃ kṛtvā tasyaiva nārāyaṇadevasya mukhāt prakaṭam āraṇyaka-rahasya-saṃgraha-sahitaṃ taṃ śreṣṭhaṃ dharmopadeśaṃ jagrāha |
वैशम्पायन उवाच—आरण्यकेन सहितं नारायणमुखोद्भवम्। तदनन्तरं भगवान् श्रीहरिर्ब्रह्माणं प्रणम्य, तस्यैव नारायणदेवस्य मुखात् प्रादुर्भूतं श्रेष्ठं धर्मोपदेशं—आरण्यक-रहस्य-संग्रहसहितं—जग्राह॥
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse emphasizes the sanctity and authority of dharma-teaching as a revealed transmission: the ‘best dharma’ is received as a complete body of instruction (including Āraṇyaka material, esoteric rahasya, and a systematic compendium), and it is approached with reverence (namaskāra), underscoring humility before sacred knowledge.
Vaiśampāyana narrates a chain of transmission: after the revelation associated with Nārāyaṇa’s speech, Śrī Hari offers salutations to Brahmā and then receives/accepts the superior dharma-instruction that is explicitly said to have manifested from Lord Nārāyaṇa’s mouth, complete with its ancillary and secret sections.