Shloka 23
Nāga–Nāgabhāryā Saṃvāda: Varṇa-Dharma, Gṛhastha-Discipline, and Mokṣa-Self-Inquiry
Mahābhārata 12.347
पितामहपिता चैव अहमेवात्र कारणम् | इत्येतदुक्त्वा वचनं देवदेवो वृषाकपि:
pitāmahapitā caiva aham evātra kāraṇam | ity etad uktvā vacanaṁ devadevo vṛṣākapiḥ ||
那罗陀说道：“我确是祖父（梵天 Brahmā）之父；此世间之因，唯我而已。”言毕，诸神之神——弗利沙迦毗（Vṛṣākapi，即毗湿奴 Viṣṇu）——在婆罗诃山上，详尽施行祖供施食之礼（piṇḍadāna）。他化作祖灵（Pitṛ）之形，所礼敬者非他，唯其自身；随即于彼处隐没不现。
नारद उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse teaches that the supreme deity is the ultimate cause—even beyond Brahmā—yet still upholds dharma by performing and honoring ancestral rites. It models humility within supremacy: cosmic sovereignty does not negate ritual responsibility.
Nārada reports that Viṣṇu (called Vṛṣākapi) declares himself the source of all, then performs piṇḍadāna on Varāha-mountain, worshipping himself in the form of the Pitṛs, and finally vanishes from the spot.