Shloka 13

Varṇāśrama-ācāra and Vikarma: Yudhiṣṭhira’s Inquiry on Safe Dharmas (शिवधर्मप्रश्नः)

Devanagari script

अथात्र नारायणगीतमाहु- महर्षयस्तात महानुभावा: । महार्थमत्यन्ततप:प्रयुक्तं तदुच्यमानं हि मया निबोध

Transliteration

athātra nārāyaṇagītam āhur maharṣayas tāta mahānubhāvāḥ | mahārtham atyantatapaḥprayuktaṃ tad ucyamānaṃ hi mayā nibodha, tāta ||

Translation

毗湿摩说：“孩子啊，在此事上，那些大德仙人常提及‘那罗延歌’（Nārāyaṇa-gītā）——其义深远，乃由极严苦行之激发而宣说。如今我将为你叙述；孩子，专心聆听。”

Word by Word

• {'atha': 'now

• hereupon (introducing a new topic)', 'atra': 'here

• in this context', 'nārāyaṇa-gītam': 'the ‘Song/Teaching concerning Nārāyaṇa’

• a revered doctrinal discourse', 'āhuḥ': 'they say

• they declare', 'maharṣayaḥ': 'great seers

• eminent sages', 'tāta': 'dear one

• child (a respectful/affectionate address)', 'mahānubhāvāḥ': 'great-souled

• of exalted power or dignity', 'mahārtham': 'of great meaning

• bearing profound significance', 'atyanta': 'extreme

• very intense', 'tapaḥ': 'austerity

• spiritual heat', 'prayuktam': 'impelled

• prompted (by)', 'tat': 'that (teaching/discourse)', 'ucyamānam': 'being spoken

• being recited', 'hi': 'indeed

• surely (emphatic particle)', 'mayā': 'by me', 'nibodha': 'understand

• take heed', 'tāta (repeated)': 'dear one

Speaker

भीष्म उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Bhīṣma
• Mahārṣayaḥ (great sages)
• Nārāyaṇa
• Nārāyaṇa-gītā

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse frames the Nārāyaṇa-gītā as an authoritative, ethically weighty teaching endorsed by great seers and born of intense tapas. Its core message here is the legitimacy and gravity of the instruction Bhīṣma is about to transmit: profound dharma-oriented wisdom should be received with attentive understanding.

What is happening in the narrative?

Bhīṣma transitions to a new doctrinal section within the Śānti Parva, introducing the Nārāyaṇa-gītā. He cites the tradition of the maharṣis who refer to it, then invites his listener (addressed affectionately as ‘tāta’) to hear and comprehend as he recites it.