Shloka 27

अश्वशिरो-आख्यानम्

Aśvaśiras / Hayaśiras Narrative: Retrieval of the Vedas

Devanagari script

पिता माता च सर्वस्य जगत: शाश्वतो गुरु: । क॑ त्वद्य यजसे देवं पितरं क॑ न विद्महे

Transliteration

nārada uvāca | pitā mātā ca sarvasya jagataḥ śāśvato guruḥ | ka tv adya yajase devaṃ pitaraṃ ka na vidmahe | kam arcasi mahābhāga tan me brūhīha pṛcchataḥ |

Translation

那罗陀说道：“你是整个世界之父亦之母，是永恒的导师。然而今日，你礼敬的是哪一位天神，又供奉的是哪一位祖灵（pitṛ）？我实在不解。尊贵者啊，既然我发问，请明白告知——你究竟礼拜谁？”

Word by Word

• {'pitā': 'father', 'mātā': 'mother', 'sarvasya': 'of all, of the entire', 'jagataḥ': 'of the world', 'śāśvataḥ': 'eternal, everlasting', 'guruḥ': 'teacher, spiritual preceptor', 'tvam (tvadya)': 'you (today)', 'adya': 'today, at present', 'yajase': 'you worship, you perform sacrifice to', 'devam': 'a god, deity', 'pitaram': 'a Pitṛ

• ancestor/ancestral being (object of śrāddha)', 'na vidmahe': 'we do not know, we do not understand', 'kam': 'whom?', 'arcasi': 'you worship, you honor (with offerings/praise)', 'mahābhāga': 'greatly fortunate

• noble one', 'tat': 'that', 'me': 'to me', 'brūhi': 'tell, speak', 'iha': 'here, now', 'pṛcchataḥ': 'of one who is asking

Speaker

नारद उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Nārada
• deva (deity)
• pitaraḥ/pitṛ (ancestors)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse frames a theological puzzle: even one regarded as the world’s father, mother, and eternal guru still performs worship. It prompts reflection on dharma—how ritual devotion can be upheld as an exemplar for the world, and how ultimate reality may be approached through worship without contradiction.

What is happening in the narrative?

Nārada addresses a revered figure (implied to be supremely authoritative—parent and teacher of the world) and asks directly which deity and which Pitṛ that person worships. The question sets up an explanation about the object and meaning of worship and ancestral rites.