12.334
Vaiśampāyana said.
After hearing these words spoken by Nara and Nārāyaṇa, Nārada, who was deeply devoted to the god, entered into solitude. (12-334-1)
After spending a thousand years in the hermitage of Nara and Nārāyaṇa, and after hearing the story of the Blessed One and seeing the imperishable Hari, he quickly went to the Himalayas, where his own hermitage was. (12-334-2)
Those two, the famous ascetics Nara and Nārāyaṇa, also performed the highest austerities in that same beautiful hermitage. (12-334-3)
You too, of immeasurable prowess and the glory of the Pāṇḍava family, have today become purified in soul, having listened to this story from the beginning. (12-334-4)
O best of kings, for one who hates the imperishable Viṣṇu by action, mind, or speech, neither the higher world nor this world exists for him. (12-334-5)
The ancestors of one who would hate the best among the wise, the god Nārāyaṇa, Hari, sink in hell for eternal years. (12-334-6)
How could the self ever be hateful to anyone in the world? O tiger among men, the self is to be understood as Viṣṇu; this is the established truth. (12-334-7)
This teacher of ours, the sage and son of Gandhavatī, has told this, dear one, the greatness of the Supreme Self. Therefore, having heard it from him, I have told this to you also, O sinless one. (12-334-8)
Know Kṛṣṇa Dvaipāyana Vyāsa to be Nārāyaṇa, the Lord; who else, O tiger among men, could be the composer of the Mahābhārata? Who else, except the Lord, could speak of the various kinds of dharmas? (12-334-9)
Let your great sacrifice proceed as you have resolved. You have determined to perform the aśvamedha and are truly a follower of scriptural dharma. (12-334-10)
After hearing this great narrative, King Parikṣit then began all the rites required for the completion of the sacrifice. (12-334-11)
This narrative relating to Nārāyaṇa has been told to you by me. Long ago, Nārada communicated it to my teacher, O king, while the sages and the Pāṇḍavas listened, as did Kṛṣṇa and Bhīṣma. (12-334-12)
He, the supreme teacher, lord of the worlds, bearer of the earth, the treasure of tranquility and discipline, the treasure of Veda and humility, supremely beneficial to the twice-born; may Hari, who is the refuge and who is beyond the immortals, be your praise. (12-334-13)
He, who is the treasure of austerities, the greatest among the great, the mighty, the receptacle of fame, the destroyer of calamities, the giver of refuge and fearlessness to the devoted, the giver of liberation, and the remover of the share of sacrifices—may he be for you. (12-334-14)
He who transcends the three qualities, who bears the four and five (elements and senses), who removes the fruits of charity and sacrifice, the unconquered and exceedingly strong, always grants the path to self-realization for the virtuous sages. (12-334-15)
Him, the witness of the worlds, the unborn person, sun-colored, possessing the path of the Lord, many times; ascetics with one mind bow down; even the one born from water has bowed to that sage. (12-334-16)
He is truly the origin of the worlds, the abode of immortality—subtle, ancient, immovable, and supreme. That reality, upheld by noble Sāṅkhya yogis, is always known by those of controlled mind and intellect. (12-334-17)
