Shloka 70
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 ||
Para bijak menimbang bahwa “dhāma” adalah nama bagi inti sari makhluk hidup, dan “ṛta” berarti kebenaran. Karena itu para brāhmaṇa seketika menamai aku “Ṛtadhāmā” (dia yang berdiam dalam Kebenaran). Dan dahulu, ketika Bumi lenyap dan tenggelam ke kedalaman yang tersembunyi, aku memulihkannya dengan mengambil wujud Varāha; sebab itulah para dewa memuji aku dengan sebutan “Govinda”—dia yang menemukan dan mengembalikan Bumi.
तामिन्द्र उवाच गच्छ नहुषस्त्वया वाच्योथ<पूर्वेण मामृषियुक्तेन यानेन त्वमधिरूढ
Educational Q&A
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).