Shloka 20
Pitāmaha-sabhā-varṇana & Hariścandra-māhātmya
Description of Brahmā’s Assembly and the Eminence of Hariścandra
अथर्वाड्विरसश्वैव बालखिल्या मरीचिपा: । मनो&न््तरिक्षं विद्याश्व वायुस्तेजो जल॑ं मही
atharvāḍvirasaś caiva bālakhilyā marīcipāḥ | mano 'ntarikṣaṃ vidyāś ca vāyus tejo jalaṃ mahī ||
那罗陀说道：“阿闼婆那（Atharvan）与安祇罗族（Aṅgirasa），饮啜日光之芒的婆罗契利耶（Bālakhilya），以及摩利支波（Marīcipa）；又有心识（Manas）、中空（Antarikṣa）、明知（Vidyā）、风、火/光、水与地——这些皆列为与世界之构成要素与因理相关的主宰神力。”
नारद उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse frames the world as governed by presiding powers—ṛṣis and deities connected with cosmic functions (mind, space, knowledge, and the elements). Ethically, it supports a worldview where order (ṛta/dharma) is maintained through recognized principles and their divine custodians.
Nārada is listing revered seers and cosmic principles as part of a broader enumeration of the powers/agents involved in creation and governance of the universe, identifying them as significant presences within the epic’s cosmological discourse.