Shloka 25

Jarāsandha–Vāsudeva Saṃvāda: Kṣātra-Dharma, Pride, and the Ethics of Coercion

Sabhā Parva, Adhyāya 20

Devanagari script

ईशौ हि तौ महात्मानौ सर्वकार्यप्रवर्तिनौ | धर्मकामार्थलोकानां कार्याणां च प्रवर्तकौ,क्योंकि वे दोनों महात्मा निमेष-उन्मेषसे लेकर महाप्रलयपर्यन्त समस्त कार्योंके नियन्ता तथा धर्म, काम और अर्थसाधनमें लगे हुए लोगोंको तत्सम्बन्धी कार्योमें लगानेवाले ईश्वर (नर-नारायण) हैं

Transliteration

īśau hi tau mahātmānau sarvakāryapravartinau | dharmakāmārthalokānāṃ kāryāṇāṃ ca pravartakau ||

Translation

ไวศัมปายนะกล่าวว่า มหาบุรุษทั้งสองนั้นแท้จริงคือพระเป็นเจ้า ผู้ทรงให้กิจทั้งปวงเริ่มเคลื่อนไหว. ตั้งแต่ชั่วพริบตาจนถึงมหาปรลัย พระองค์ทรงเป็นผู้กำกับการกระทำทั้งสิ้น และยังทรงชักนำผู้คนที่มุ่งธรรมะ กามะ และอรรถะ ให้ประกอบการกระทำอันเหมาะแก่เป้าหมายนั้น ๆ—ดังนี้แลคือ นร และ นารายณะ.

Word by Word

• ईशौ: the two lords
• ईशौ: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: ईश
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Dual

• हि: indeed/for
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: हि

• तौ: those two
• तौ: Karta
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: तद्
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Dual

• महात्मानौ: the two great-souled ones
• महात्मानौ: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: महात्मन्
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Dual

• सर्वकार्यप्रवर्तिनौ: setting in motion all actions/undertakings
• सर्वकार्यप्रवर्तिनौ: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सर्वकार्यप्रवर्तिन्
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Dual

• धर्मकामार्थलोकानाम्: of the people (engaged) in dharma, kāma and artha
• Type: Noun
• Root: धर्मकामार्थलोक
• Form: Masculine, Genitive, Plural

• कार्याणाम्: of (their) actions/undertakings
• Type: Noun
• Root: कार्य
• Form: Neuter, Genitive, Plural

• च: and
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च

• प्रवर्तकौ: the two instigators/promoters
• प्रवर्तकौ: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्रवर्तक
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Dual

Speaker

वैशग्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Vaiśaṃpāyana
• Nara
• Nārāyaṇa

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse presents Nara and Nārāyaṇa as the divine regulators of action: all human pursuits—dharma (duty), kāma (desire), and artha (prosperity)—operate within a higher moral-cosmic governance. Ethical life is thus not random; it is guided and sustained by a supreme order that directs beings toward appropriate action.

What is happening in the narrative?

Vaiśaṃpāyana identifies and praises the two exalted figures (understood as Nara and Nārāyaṇa), describing their lordship over all activities and their role in prompting people to undertake actions aligned with dharma, kāma, and artha. The statement functions as a theological framing within the Sabha Parva narration.