Shloka 86
Puṣkara-Śapatha Itihāsa (Agastya–Indra Dispute at the Tīrthas) | पुष्कर-शपथ-आख्यानम्
कश्यप उवाच कुलं कुलं च कुवम: कुवम: कश्यपो द्विज: । काश्य: काशनिकाशत्वादेतन्मे नाम धारय
kaśyapa uvāca | kulaṃ kulaṃ ca ku-vamaḥ ku-vamaḥ kaśyapo dvijaḥ | kāśyaḥ kāśanikāśatvād etan me nāma dhāraya ||
Kashyapa dit : « On m’appelle Kaśyapa, sage deux fois né, et l’on m’appelle aussi Ku-vama. J’entre dans chaque ‘kula’ — chaque lignée incarnée, chaque corps — comme gardien intérieur et je le protège ; c’est pourquoi je suis “Kaśyapa”, celui qui soutient. Et puisque je suis aussi de la nature du soleil qui fait tomber la pluie sur la terre, on me connaît également sous le nom de “Ku-vama”. Parce que l’éclat de mon corps est lumineux comme la fleur de kāśa, je suis encore renommé “Kāśya”. Tel est mon nom — reçois-le et porte-le. »
कश्यप उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse teaches that a name can encode dharmic function: Kashyapa defines himself through protective indwelling presence (as an inner guardian of embodied beings) and through cosmic beneficence (sun and rain sustaining life). Identity is framed as service—sustaining, protecting, and nourishing.
Kashyapa is explaining the meanings and grounds of his epithets—Kaśyapa, Ku-vama, and Kāśya—using etymological and symbolic reasoning, and instructs the addressed listener to adopt/retain that name (or understanding of the name) as significant.