Shloka 14
कण्वोपदेशः—नश्वरबलविवेकः तथा मातलिगुणकेश्याः आख्यानारम्भः
Kaṇva’s Counsel on Impermanent Power; Opening of the Mātali–Guṇakeśī Narrative
ब्राह्मणा ऊचु. नरो नारायणश्चैव तापसाविति न: श्रुतम् । आयातीौ मानुषे लोके ताभ्यां युध्यस्व पार्थिव
brāhmaṇā ūcuḥ | naro nārāyaṇaś caiva tāpasāv iti naḥ śrutam | āyātau mānuṣe loke tābhyāṃ yudhyasva pārthiva |
婆罗门说道：“大王，我们听闻他们乃是苦行圣者那罗与那罗延。如今他们已降临人间；因此，你就与那二位交战吧。”
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the tension between royal valor and spiritual authority: even a king’s martial duty is framed in relation to higher, ascetic power (Nara-Nārāyaṇa), implying that worldly strength must recognize the supremacy of tapas (austerity) and divine order.
A group of Brahmins addresses a king, identifying two formidable figures as the ascetic sages Nara and Nārāyaṇa who have appeared in the human realm, and they urge the king to engage them in battle.