नरनारायणौ यौ तौ पुराणावृषिसत्तमौ । सहितौ मानुषे लोके सम्भूतावमितद्युती
naranārāyaṇau yau tau purāṇāv ṛṣisattamau | sahitau mānuṣe loke sambhūtāv amitadyutī ||
Bhīṣma nói: “Hai vị ấy—Nara và Nārāyaṇa—những bậc hiền triết cổ xưa, tối thượng trong hàng ṛṣi, rực sáng vô lượng—đã cùng nhau giáng sinh vào cõi người.”
भीष्म उवाच
The verse frames extraordinary moral and spiritual authority as entering history: the primeval sage-pair Nara and Nārāyaṇa are presented as divinely radiant beings who assume human birth, implying that dharma is upheld not only by human effort but also by providential embodiment of wisdom and restraint.
Bhīṣma identifies two exalted, ancient ṛṣis—Nara and Nārāyaṇa—and states that they have appeared together in the human realm. This functions as a recognition of divine presence within the unfolding events of the epic, lending sacred weight to the persons or forces being described.