Shloka 88
Atithi-satkāra and the Consolation of Wise Counsel (अतिथिसत्कारः प्रज्ञानवचनस्य च पराश्वासनम्)
वृषो हि भगवान् धर्म: ख्यातो लोकेषु भारत । नैधण्टुकपदाख्याने विद्धि मां वृषमुत्तमम्
vṛṣo hi bhagavān dharmaḥ khyāto lokeṣu bhārata | naidhāṇṭuka-padākhyāne viddhi māṃ vṛṣam uttamam bharatanandana ||
Oh Bhārata, el bendito principio del Dharma es célebre en los mundos con el nombre de “Vṛṣa” (el Toro). Sabe, por el Naighaṇṭuka (léxico védico de significados), que “vṛṣa” significa Dharma; por ello, oh deleite de los Bharatas, entiéndeme como “Vṛṣa”, la suprema encarnación del Dharma.
तामिन्द्र उवाच गच्छ नहुषस्त्वया वाच्योथ<पूर्वेण मामृषियुक्तेन यानेन त्वमधिरूढ
Educational Q&A
The verse equates the epithet “Vṛṣa” (bull) with Dharma, asserting that true strength and nobility are moral: Dharma is the world-sustaining power, and the speaker identifies himself as the supreme form of that Dharma.
In a didactic context within Śānti Parva, the speaker explains a significant epithet by appealing to Vedic lexical tradition (Naighaṇṭuka/Nighaṇṭu), clarifying that “vṛṣa” is not merely an animal image but a recognized synonym for Dharma, thereby grounding his self-description in authoritative word-meaning.