Shloka 17
Āścarya-kathana: Brāhmaṇa–Nāga Dialogue on Sūrya (Vivasvat) and the ‘Second Sun’ Phenomenon
नारायणात्मको राजन् रुद्राय प्रददौ च तम् नरेश्वर! जब ब्रह्माजीका नेत्रजनित द्वितीय जन्म हुआ, तब उन्होंने सोमसे उस नारायण-स्वरूप धर्मको सुना था। राजन! ब्रह्माजीने रुद्रको इसका उपदेश दिया ।।
vaiśampāyana uvāca |
nārāyaṇātmako rājan rudrāya pradadau ca tam |
tato yogasthito rudraḥ purā kṛtayuge nṛpa |
nareśvara tatpaścāt sarvān bālakhilyān ṛṣīn dharmeṇānena bodhayām āsa |
tad-anantaraṃ bhagavato viṣṇor māyayā sa dharmaḥ punar luptaḥ ||
毗湿摩波耶那说道：“大王啊，那与那罗延（Nārāyaṇa）同体之达摩，被传授给了鲁陀罗（Rudra）。其后，鲁陀罗安住于瑜伽，于远古的克利多时代（Kṛta-yuga）使一切婆罗奇利耶（Bālakhilya）仙人皆知此教。随后，由毗湿奴（Viṣṇu）之幻力（māyā），此达摩又再度隐没于世间。”
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The passage emphasizes that true dharma is Nārāyaṇa-centered (nārāyaṇātmaka) and is preserved through disciplined yoga and guru-to-disciple transmission, yet it can become concealed in the world due to divine māyā—highlighting both the sanctity and the fragility of access to spiritual knowledge across cosmic ages.
Vaiśampāyana recounts a lineage of instruction: Brahmā (having heard it from Soma) teaches the Nārāyaṇa-natured dharma to Rudra; Rudra, established in yoga during the Kṛta Yuga, teaches it to the Bālakhilya sages; later, by Viṣṇu’s māyā, the teaching becomes hidden again.