Shloka 88
Varṇa-dharma and Rājadharma: Yudhiṣṭhira’s Inquiry and Bhīṣma’s Normative Outline (वर्णधर्म-राजधर्म-प्रश्नोत्तरम्)
तदनन्तर देवताओंने प्रजापति भगवान् विष्णुके पास जाकर कहा--'भगवन्! मनुष्योंमें जो एक पुरुष सबसे श्रेष्ठ पद प्राप्त करनेका अधिकारी हो, उसका नाम बताइये” ।।
tadanantaraṁ devatābhir prajāpatiṁ bhagavantaṁ viṣṇuṁ samītyoktam— “bhagavan! manuṣyeṣu yaḥ pumān sarvaśreṣṭhaṁ padaṁ prāptum adhikārī, tasya nāma brūhi.” tataḥ sañcintya bhagavān devo nārāyaṇaḥ prabhuḥ | taijasaṁ vai virajasaṁ so ’sṛjan mānasaṁ sutam |
Después de esto, los dioses se acercaron a Prajāpati, el Bienaventurado Viṣṇu, y dijeron: «¡Oh Señor! Dinos el nombre de aquel varón entre los hombres que tiene derecho a alcanzar el rango supremo». Entonces el Señor, el divino Nārāyaṇa, reflexionó y, con su propia refulgencia, creó un hijo nacido de la mente—puro e inmaculado—que llegó a ser célebre con el nombre de Virajā.
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Supreme human excellence is not merely social status but a qualification grounded in purity and divine sanction: the ‘highest rank’ is associated with being free from rajas (virajasa) and aligned with luminous spiritual power (taijasa), indicating ethical and inner fitness as the basis of true superiority.
The gods ask Viṣṇu (as Prajāpati) to identify the human who deserves the highest position. Viṣṇu reflects and then manifests a mind-born son, radiant and stainless, named Viraja—introducing a paradigmatic figure whose very origin and qualities answer the gods’ inquiry.