[Pramāṇa](https://indike.org/pramana/) › [Indian literature](https://indike.org/pramana/in) › [Epic, Poetry, Drama & Narrative](https://indike.org/pramana/in.lit) › [The Mahābhārata and its versions](https://indike.org/pramana/in.lit.mahabharata) › [The Nārāyaṇa section of the Śāntiparvan](https://indike.org/pramana/in.lit.mahabharata.narayaniya) › 12.321 # The Nārāyaṇa section of the Śāntiparvan 12.321 Nārāyaṇīya 12.321 - **Language:** Sanskrit ### [12.321.1](https://indike.org/pramana/in.lit.mahabharata.narayaniya.12.321.1) yudhi-ṣṭhira uvāca: gṛhastho brahmacārī vā vānaprastho 'tha bhikṣukaḥ ya icchet siddhim āsthātuṃ devatāṃ kāṃ yajeta saḥ // ### [12.321.2](https://indike.org/pramana/in.lit.mahabharata.narayaniya.12.321.2) kuto hy asya dhruvaḥ svargaḥ kuto niḥśreyasaṃ param vidhinā kena juhuyād daivaṃ pitryaṃ tathaiva ca // ### [12.321.3](https://indike.org/pramana/in.lit.mahabharata.narayaniya.12.321.3) muktaś ca kāṃ gatiṃ gacchen mokṣaś caiva kimātmakaḥ svargataś caiva kiṃ kuryād yena na cyavate divaḥ // ### [12.321.4](https://indike.org/pramana/in.lit.mahabharata.narayaniya.12.321.4) devatānāṃ ca ko devaḥ pitṝṇāṃ ca tathā pitā tasmāt parataraṃ yac ca tan me brūhi pitāmaha // ### [12.321.5](https://indike.org/pramana/in.lit.mahabharata.narayaniya.12.321.5) bhīṣma uvāca: gūḍhaṃ māṃ praśnavit praśnaṃ pṛcchase tvam ihānagha na hy eṣa tarkayā śakyo vaktuṃ varṣaśatair api // ### [12.321.6](https://indike.org/pramana/in.lit.mahabharata.narayaniya.12.321.6) ṛte devaprasādād vā rājañ jñānāgamena vā gahanaṃ hy etad ākhyānaṃ vyākhyātavyaṃ tavārihan // ### [12.321.7](https://indike.org/pramana/in.lit.mahabharata.narayaniya.12.321.7) atrāpy udāharantīmam itihāsaṃ purātanam nāradasya ca saṃvādam ṛṣer nārāyaṇasya ca // ### [12.321.8](https://indike.org/pramana/in.lit.mahabharata.narayaniya.12.321.8) nārāyaṇo hi viśvātmā caturmūrtiḥ sanātanaḥ dharmātmajaḥ saṃbabhūva pitaivaṃ me 'bhyabhāṣata // ### [12.321.9](https://indike.org/pramana/in.lit.mahabharata.narayaniya.12.321.9) kṛte yuge mahārāja purā svāyaṃbhuve 'ntare naro nārāyaṇaś caiva hariḥ kṛṣṇas tathaiva ca // ### [12.321.10](https://indike.org/pramana/in.lit.mahabharata.narayaniya.12.321.10) tebhyo nārāyaṇanarau tapas tepatur avyayau badary-āśramam āsādya śakaṭe kanakāmaye // ### [12.321.11](https://indike.org/pramana/in.lit.mahabharata.narayaniya.12.321.11) aṣṭacakraṃ hi tad yānaṃ bhūtayuktaṃ manoramam tatrādyau lokanāthau tau kṛśau dhamanisaṃtatau // ### [12.321.12](https://indike.org/pramana/in.lit.mahabharata.narayaniya.12.321.12) tapasā tejasā caiva durnirīkṣau surair api yasya prasādaṃ kurvāte sa devau draṣṭum arhati // ### [12.321.13](https://indike.org/pramana/in.lit.mahabharata.narayaniya.12.321.13) nūnaṃ tayor anumate hṛdi hṛcchayacoditaḥ mahāmeror gireḥ śṛṅgāt pracyuto gandhamādanam // ### [12.321.14](https://indike.org/pramana/in.lit.mahabharata.narayaniya.12.321.14) nāradaḥ sumahadbhūtaṃ lokān sarvān acīcarat taṃ deśam agamad rājan badary-āśramam āśugaḥ\_1 // ### [12.321.15](https://indike.org/pramana/in.lit.mahabharata.narayaniya.12.321.15) tayor āhnikavelāyāṃ tasya kautūhalaṃ tv abhūt idaṃ tadāspadaṃ kṛtsnaṃ yasmiṃl lokāḥ pratiṣṭhitāḥ // ### [12.321.16](https://indike.org/pramana/in.lit.mahabharata.narayaniya.12.321.16) sadevāsuragandharvāḥ sar1ṣikiṃnaralelihāḥ ekā mūrtir iyaṃ pūrvaṃ jātā bhūyaś caturvidhā // ### [12.321.17](https://indike.org/pramana/in.lit.mahabharata.narayaniya.12.321.17) dharmasya kulasaṃtāno mahān ebhir vivardhitaḥ aho hy anugṛhīto 'dya dharma ebhiḥ surair iha naranārāyaṇābhyāṃ ca kṛṣṇena hariṇā tathā // ### [12.321.18](https://indike.org/pramana/in.lit.mahabharata.narayaniya.12.321.18) tatra kṛṣṇo hariś caiva kasmiṃścit kāraṇāntare sthitau dharmottarau hy etau tathā tapasi dhiṣṭhitau // ### [12.321.19](https://indike.org/pramana/in.lit.mahabharata.narayaniya.12.321.19) etau hi paramaṃ dhāma kānayor āhnikakriyā pitarau sarvabhūtānāṃ daivataṃ ca yaśasvinau kāṃ devatāṃ nu yajataḥ pitṝn vā kān mahāmatī // ### [12.321.20](https://indike.org/pramana/in.lit.mahabharata.narayaniya.12.321.20) iti saṃcintya manasā bhaktyā nārāyaṇasya ha sahasā prādur abhavat samīpe devayos tadā // ### [12.321.21](https://indike.org/pramana/in.lit.mahabharata.narayaniya.12.321.21) kṛte daive ca pitrye ca tatas tābhyāṃ nirīkṣitaḥ pūjitaś caiva vidhinā yathāproktena śāstrataḥ // ### [12.321.22](https://indike.org/pramana/in.lit.mahabharata.narayaniya.12.321.22) taṃ dṛṣṭvā mahad āścaryam apūrvaṃ vidhivistaram upopaviṣṭaḥ suprīto nārado bhagavān ṛṣiḥ // ### [12.321.23](https://indike.org/pramana/in.lit.mahabharata.narayaniya.12.321.23) nārāyaṇaṃ saṃnirīkṣya prasannenāntarātmanā namas kṛtvā mahādevam idaṃ vacanam abravīt // ### [12.321.24](https://indike.org/pramana/in.lit.mahabharata.narayaniya.12.321.24) vedeṣu sapurāṇeṣu sāṅgopāṅgeṣu gīyase tvam ajaḥ śāśvato dhātā mato 'mṛtam anuttamam pratiṣṭhitaṃ bhūtabhavyaṃ tvayi sarvam idaṃ jagat // ### [12.321.25](https://indike.org/pramana/in.lit.mahabharata.narayaniya.12.321.25) catvāro hy āśramā deva sarve gārhasthyamūlakāḥ yajante tvām aharahar nānāmūrtisamāsthitam // ### [12.321.26](https://indike.org/pramana/in.lit.mahabharata.narayaniya.12.321.26) pitā mātā ca sarvasya jagataḥ śāśvato guruḥ kaṃ tv adya yajase devaṃ pitaraṃ kaṃ na vidmahe // ### [12.321.27](https://indike.org/pramana/in.lit.mahabharata.narayaniya.12.321.27) śrī-bhagavān uvāca: avācyam etad vaktavyam ātmaguhyaṃ sanātanam tava bhaktimato brahman vakṣyāmi tu yathātatham // ### [12.321.28](https://indike.org/pramana/in.lit.mahabharata.narayaniya.12.321.28) yat tat sūkṣmam avijñeyam avyaktam acalaṃ dhruvam indriyair indriyārthaiś ca sarvabhūtaiś ca varjitam // ### [12.321.29](https://indike.org/pramana/in.lit.mahabharata.narayaniya.12.321.29) sa hy antarātmā bhūtānāṃ kṣetrajñaś ceti kathyate triguṇavyatirikto 'sau puruṣaś ceti kalpitaḥ tasmād avyaktam utpannaṃ triguṇaṃ dvijasattama // ### [12.321.30](https://indike.org/pramana/in.lit.mahabharata.narayaniya.12.321.30) avyaktā vyaktabhāvasthā yā sā prakṛtir avyayā tāṃ yonim āvayor viddhi yo 'sau sada-sadātmakaḥ āvābhyāṃ pūjyate 'sau hi daive pitrye ca kalpite // ### [12.321.31](https://indike.org/pramana/in.lit.mahabharata.narayaniya.12.321.31) nāsti tasmāt paro 'nyo hi pitā devo 'tha vā dvijaḥ ātmā hi nau sa vijñeyas tatas taṃ pūjayāvahe // ### [12.321.32](https://indike.org/pramana/in.lit.mahabharata.narayaniya.12.321.32) tenaiṣā prathitā brahman maryādā lokabhāvinī daivaṃ pitryaṃ ca kartavyam iti tasyānuśāsanam // ### [12.321.33](https://indike.org/pramana/in.lit.mahabharata.narayaniya.12.321.33) brahmā sthāṇur manur dakṣo bhṛgur dharmas tapo damaḥ marīcir aṅgirāatriś ca pulastyaḥ pulahaḥ kratuḥ // ### [12.321.34](https://indike.org/pramana/in.lit.mahabharata.narayaniya.12.321.34) vasiṣṭhaḥ parameṣṭhī ca vivasvān soma eva ca kardamaś cāpi yaḥ proktaḥ krodho vikrīta eva ca // ### [12.321.35](https://indike.org/pramana/in.lit.mahabharata.narayaniya.12.321.35) ekaviṃśatir utpannās te prajāpatayaḥ smṛtāḥ tasya devasya maryādāṃ pūjayanti sanātanīm // ### [12.321.36](https://indike.org/pramana/in.lit.mahabharata.narayaniya.12.321.36) daivaṃ pitryaṃ ca satataṃ tasya vijñāya tattvataḥ ātmaprāptāni ca tato jānanti dvijasattamāḥ // ### [12.321.37](https://indike.org/pramana/in.lit.mahabharata.narayaniya.12.321.37) svargasthā api ye kecit taṃ namasyanti dehinaḥ te tatprasādād gacchanti tenādiṣṭaphalāṃ gatim // ### [12.321.38](https://indike.org/pramana/in.lit.mahabharata.narayaniya.12.321.38) ye hīnāḥ saptadaśabhir guṇaiḥ karmabhir eva ca kalāḥ pañcadaśa tyaktvā te muktā iti niścayaḥ // ### [12.321.39](https://indike.org/pramana/in.lit.mahabharata.narayaniya.12.321.39) muktānāṃ tu gatir brahman kṣetrajña iti kalpitaḥ sa hi sarvagataś caiva nirguṇaś caiva kathyate // ### [12.321.40](https://indike.org/pramana/in.lit.mahabharata.narayaniya.12.321.40) dṛśyate jñānayogena āvāṃ ca prasṛtau tataḥ evaṃ jñātvā tam ātmānaṃ pūjayāvaḥ sanātanam // ### [12.321.41](https://indike.org/pramana/in.lit.mahabharata.narayaniya.12.321.41) taṃ vedāś cāśramāś caiva nānātanusamāsthitāḥ bhaktyā saṃpūjayanty ādyaṃ gatiṃ caiṣāṃ dadāti saḥ // ### [12.321.42](https://indike.org/pramana/in.lit.mahabharata.narayaniya.12.321.42) ye tu tadbhāvitā loke ekāntitvaṃ samāsthitāḥ etad abhyadhikaṃ teṣāṃ yat te taṃ praviśanty uta // ### [12.321.43](https://indike.org/pramana/in.lit.mahabharata.narayaniya.12.321.43) iti guhyasamuddeśas tava nārada kīrtitaḥ bhaktyā premṇā ca viprar1ṣe asmadbhaktyā ca te śrutaḥ // ## Linked texts (6) - [Critical edition (BORI)](https://indike.org/pramana/in.lit.mahabharata.vyasa*crit.12.321.1) — Sanskrit - [Brahmapurāṇa](https://indike.org/pramana/in.purana.brahma.30.3) — Vyāsa, Sanskrit - [Skandamahāpurāṇa (vulgate)](https://indike.org/pramana/in.purana.skanda*vulgate.2.9.2.13) — Sanskrit - [Sāmbapurāṇa](https://indike.org/pramana/in.purana.upa.surya.samba.1.3) — Sanskrit - [Bṛhadbrahmasaṃhitā](https://indike.org/pramana/in.sampradaya.vaisnava.pancaratra.brhadbrahmasamhita.33.24) — Sanskrit - [Vedāntasiddhāntasaṃgraha](https://indike.org/pramana/in.darsana.dvaitadvaita.vedantasiddhantasamgraha.5.15) — Vanamālī Miśra 1660, Sanskrit --- Source: [https://indike.org/pramana/in.lit.mahabharata.narayaniya.12.321](https://indike.org/pramana/in.lit.mahabharata.narayaniya.12.321) · Pramāṇa