Shloka 17
Āścarya-kathana: Brāhmaṇa–Nāga Dialogue on Sūrya (Vivasvat) and the ‘Second Sun’ Phenomenon
नारायणात्मको राजन् रुद्राय प्रददौ च तम् नरेश्वर! जब ब्रह्माजीका नेत्रजनित द्वितीय जन्म हुआ, तब उन्होंने सोमसे उस नारायण-स्वरूप धर्मको सुना था। राजन! ब्रह्माजीने रुद्रको इसका उपदेश दिया ।।
vaiśampāyana uvāca |
nārāyaṇātmako rājan rudrāya pradadau ca tam |
tato yogasthito rudraḥ purā kṛtayuge nṛpa |
nareśvara tatpaścāt sarvān bālakhilyān ṛṣīn dharmeṇānena bodhayām āsa |
tad-anantaraṃ bhagavato viṣṇor māyayā sa dharmaḥ punar luptaḥ ||
Vaiśampāyana thưa: “Tâu Đại vương, pháp Dharma vốn mang tự tính của Nārāyaṇa đã được truyền dạy cho Rudra. Rồi Rudra, an trú trong yoga, thuở xưa vào thời Kṛta-yuga, đã khiến toàn thể các bậc hiền triết Bālakhilya thấu biết giáo pháp này. Sau đó, bởi māyā của đức Viṣṇu, Dharma ấy lại bị che khuất khỏi thế gian.”
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The passage emphasizes that true dharma is Nārāyaṇa-centered (nārāyaṇātmaka) and is preserved through disciplined yoga and guru-to-disciple transmission, yet it can become concealed in the world due to divine māyā—highlighting both the sanctity and the fragility of access to spiritual knowledge across cosmic ages.
Vaiśampāyana recounts a lineage of instruction: Brahmā (having heard it from Soma) teaches the Nārāyaṇa-natured dharma to Rudra; Rudra, established in yoga during the Kṛta Yuga, teaches it to the Bālakhilya sages; later, by Viṣṇu’s māyā, the teaching becomes hidden again.