Atithi-satkāra and the Consolation of Wise Counsel (अतिथिसत्कारः प्रज्ञानवचनस्य च पराश्वासनम्)
प्राणियोंके सारका नाम है धाम और ऋतका अर्थ है सत्य, ऐसा विद्वानोंने विचार किया है! इसीलिये ब्राह्मणोंने तत्काल मेरा नाम 'ऋतधामा” रख दिया था ।।
prāṇināṃ sārasya nāma hi dhāma, ṛtasya cārthaḥ satyam iti vidvadbhiḥ vicāritam | tasmād brāhmaṇaiḥ tatkālaṃ mama nāma “ṛtadhāmā” iti kṛtam || naṣṭāṃ ca dharaṇīṃ pūrvam avindaṃ vai guhāgatām | govinda iti tenāhaṃ devair vāgbhir abhiṣṭutaḥ ||
Los sabios han reflexionado que «dhāma» nombra el núcleo esencial de los seres vivientes, y que «ṛta» significa verdad. Por eso los brāhmaṇas me dieron al instante el nombre de «Ṛtadhāmā» (Aquel cuya morada es la Verdad). Y antaño, cuando la Tierra se había perdido y había descendido a las honduras ocultas, la recobré tomando la forma del jabalí (Varāha); por esa razón los dioses me alabaron con sus palabras como «Govinda», el que halla y restaura la Tierra.
तामिन्द्र उवाच गच्छ नहुषस्त्वया वाच्योथ<पूर्वेण मामृषियुक्तेन यानेन त्वमधिरूढ
Names and epithets are grounded in ethical and cosmic meanings: ‘ṛta’ is truth/order, and the divine is characterized as established in truth (Ṛtadhāmā) and as the protector-restorer of the world (Govinda). The passage links right order (ṛta) and truthful integrity (satya) with divine guardianship of creation.
In the Indra–Nahuṣa context, the speaker explains the origin of divine names: Brahmins confer the epithet ‘Ṛtadhāmā’ based on the meaning of ṛta and dhāma, and the gods praise him as ‘Govinda’ because he once recovered the Earth from the hidden depths by assuming the boar form (Varāha).