Shloka 92

Atithi-prāpti and the Brāhmaṇa’s Deliberation on Triadic Dharma (अतिथिप्राप्तिः धर्मत्रयविचारश्च)

Devanagari script

त॑ देवो दर्शयामास कृत्वा हयशिरो महत्‌ | साड्नावर्तयन्‌ वेदान्‌ कमण्डलुत्रिदण्डधूक्‌ू

Transliteration

taṁ devo darśayāmāsa kṛtvā hayaśiro mahat | ṣaḍ-aṅgān āvartayan vedān kamaṇḍalu-tridaṇḍa-dhṛk ||

Translation

Vyāsa dit : Cet être divin se révéla, prenant une grande forme à tête de cheval. Portant le kamaṇḍalu (vase d’eau) et le tridaṇḍa (bâton triple), il récitait les Veda avec leurs six disciplines auxiliaires—vision rendue manifeste à Brahmā d’un savoir discipliné et d’une austérité ascétique.

Word by Word

• तत्: that (form/thing)
• तत्: Karma
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: तद्
• Form: Neuter, Accusative, Singular

• देवः: the god
• देवः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: देव
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• दर्शयामास: caused to be seen; showed
• Type: Verb
• Root: दृश्
• Form: Perfect (Periphrastic), Third, Singular, Parasmaipada, Yes

• कृत्वा: having made; having assumed
• Type: Verb
• Root: कृ
• Form: Absolutive (Gerund), Active

• हयशिरः: a horse-head
• हयशिरः: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: हयशिरस्
• Form: Neuter, Accusative, Singular

• महत्: great
• Type: Adjective
• Root: महत्
• Form: Neuter, Accusative, Singular

• षट्: six
• Type: Numeral
• Root: षट्
• Form: —, —, —

• आवर्तयन्: reciting; causing to be repeated
• Type: Verb
• Root: वृत्
• Form: Present active participle, Masculine, Nominative, Singular, Parasmaipada, Yes

• वेदान्: the Vedas
• वेदान्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: वेद
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Plural

• कमण्डलु-त्रिदण्ड-धृक्: bearing a water-pot and a triple staff
• Type: Adjective
• Root: कमण्डलु + त्रिदण्ड + धृक् (धृ)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

Speaker

व्यास उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Vyāsa
• Hayagrīva (horse-headed divine form)
• Vedas
• Ṣaḍaṅga / Vedāṅgas
• kamaṇḍalu
• tridaṇḍa
• Brahmā

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

True authority in dharma is grounded in disciplined Vedic knowledge and ascetic self-restraint: the divine is portrayed not as mere power, but as a teacher who embodies study (Veda with Vedāṅgas) and renunciation (kamaṇḍalu, tridaṇḍa).

What is happening in the narrative?

Vyāsa narrates a theophany: the deity manifests in the great horse-headed (Hayagrīva) form and appears before Brahmā, reciting the Vedas along with the six Vedāṅgas while holding the ascetic emblems of a water-pot and threefold staff.