Shloka 18
Adhyāya 348: Nāga–Nīgabhāryā Saṃvāda on Anger, Hope, and Ethical Response
स हि परमगुरुर्जनभुवनपति: पृथुधरणिधर: श्रुतिविनयनिधि: । शमनियमनिधिर्द्धिजपरमहित- स्तव भवतु गतिहरिरमरहित:,वे परम गुरु, जनपति, भुवनपति, विशाल पृथ्वीको धारण करनेवाले, वेदज्ञान और विनयके भण्डार, शम और नियमकी निधि, ब्राह्मणोंके परम हितैषी तथा देवताओंके हितचिन्तक श्रीहरि तुम्हारे आश्रय हों
sa hi paramagurur janabhuvanapatiḥ pṛthudharaṇidharaḥ śrutivinayanidhiḥ | śamaniyamanidhir dvijaparamahitaḥ stava bhavatu gatir harir amarahitaḥ ||
Sapagkat Siya ang kataas-taasang guro—panginoon ng mga tao at ng daigdig, ang makapangyarihang tagapasan ng malawak na lupa; sisidlan ng karunungang Veda at ng disiplinang marangal; bukal ng pagpipigil-sa-sarili at ng mga banal na panata; ang pinakadakilang tagapagkalinga ng mga “dalawang-ulit na isinilang,” at tagapagtaguyod ng mga diyos. Nawa’y ang Harí na iyon ang maging kanlungan mo at ang landas na gagabay sa iyo.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse presents Hari as the highest refuge: true guidance rests in a ruler who embodies Vedic wisdom, humility, self-restraint (śama), disciplined observance (niyama), and active benevolence toward Brahmins and the gods—linking political authority with ethical and spiritual virtues.
Vaiśampāyana, in the didactic flow of Śānti Parva, offers a laudatory characterization of Hari and invokes him as the listener’s support and destination—framing the ensuing instruction within devotion and the ideal of dharmic guardianship.