Shloka 26

Nāga-āyatana-darśana-pratīkṣā — The Brāhmaṇa’s Request and Waiting on the Gomatī

Devanagari script

श्वेतद्वीपान्निवृत्तश्न नारद: परमेछिज:

Transliteration

Janamejaya uvāca: Śvetadvīpān nivṛttaś ca Nāradaḥ parameṣṭhi-jaḥ; Brahmaputra Nārada-jī Śvetadvīpa se lauṭne para jab Badarikāśrama meṃ pahuṃcakara un donoṃ ṛṣiyoṃ se mile, taba vahāṃ unhoṃne kitane samaya taka nivāsa kiyā? Aura vahāṃ unase kina-kina praśnoṃ ko pūchā?

Translation

阇那弥阇耶问道：“当梵天之子那罗陀自白洲（Śvetadvīpa）归来，抵达跋陀梨迦住处（Badarikāśrama）并与那两位圣仙相会时，他在彼处停留了多久？又向他们提出了哪些问题？”

Word by Word

• श्वेतद्वीपात्: from Śvetadvīpa
• श्वेतद्वीपात्: Apadana
• Type: Noun
• Root: श्वेतद्वीप
• Form: Masculine, Ablative, Singular

• निवृत्तः: returned
• निवृत्तः: Karta
• Type: Verb
• Root: नि-वृत्
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• नारदः: Nārada
• नारदः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: नारद
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• परम-इच्छिः: having the highest desire (or: supremely desirous)
• परम-इच्छिः: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: परम + इच्छिन्
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

Speaker

जनमेजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Janamejaya
• Nārada
• Brahmā (Parameṣṭhin)
• Śvetadvīpa
• Badarikāśrama
• two sages (unnamed in this verse)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse models dhārmic learning through disciplined inquiry: a king seeks precise details about a sage’s conduct—where he went, whom he met, how long he stayed, and what he asked—implying that spiritual knowledge is transmitted through respectful questioning and attentive listening in sacred settings.

What is happening in the narrative?

Janamejaya asks the narrator to continue the account of Nārada: after visiting Śvetadvīpa, Nārada returns and reaches Badarikāśrama, where he meets two sages. Janamejaya wants to know the duration of Nārada’s stay there and the specific questions he posed to those sages.