Shloka 2

Atithi’s Direction to the Nāga-sage Padma at Naimiṣa (अतिथ्युपदेशः—नैमिषे पद्मनागोपाख्यानप्रस्तावः)

Devanagari script

श्रीभगवानुवाच हन्त ते वर्तयिष्यामि पुराणं पाण्डुनन्दन । आत्मतेजोद्धवं पार्थ शृणुष्वैकमना मम,श्रीभगवान्‌ बोले--पाण्डुनन्दन! कुन्तीकुमार! अपने तेजके उद्धवका प्राचीन वृत्तान्त मैं तुम्हें हर्षपूर्वक बताऊँगा। तुम एकचित्त होकर मुझसे सुनो

Transliteration

śrībhagavān uvāca: hanta te vartayiṣyāmi purāṇaṃ pāṇḍunandana | ātma-tejoddhavaṃ pārtha śṛṇuṣvaika-manā mama ||

Translation

世尊说道：“来吧，般度族之所喜者！我将为你讲述一则古老的记载——自性内光如何生起并显现。噢，帕尔塔！当以一心不散，听我所说。”

Word by Word

• {'śrībhagavān uvāca': 'the Blessed Lord said', 'hanta': 'come

• an attention-calling interjection', 'te': 'to you

• for you', 'vartayiṣyāmi': 'I shall narrate

• I will relate', 'purāṇam': 'ancient tale

• old tradition/account', 'pāṇḍu-nandana': 'son/descendant of Pāṇḍu

• Arjuna addressed affectionately', 'ātma': 'self

• inner being', 'tejas': 'radiance

• inner brilliance', 'udbhavam (tejodbhavam)': 'arising

• manifestation', 'pārtha': 'son of Pṛthā (Kuntī)

• Arjuna', 'śṛṇuṣva': 'listen (imperative)', 'eka-manā': 'single-minded

• with focused attention', 'mama': 'from me

Speaker

अजुन उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Śrī Bhagavān
• Pāṇḍunandana (Arjuna)
• Pārtha (Arjuna)
• Pāṇḍu
• Pṛthā/Kuntī (implied by 'Pārtha')

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse frames ethical instruction as a sacred narration: true understanding of dharma begins with attentive, single-minded listening, and the subject to be taught concerns the origin and manifestation of one’s inner spiritual power (tejas) arising from the self.

What is happening in the narrative?

The speaker (Śrī Bhagavān) turns to Arjuna—addressing him affectionately as Pāṇḍunandana and Pārtha—and announces that he will recount an ancient account. He asks Arjuna to listen with full concentration, signaling the start of a didactic story about the emergence of inner radiance.