Adhyāya 90: Babhruvāhana’s Reception and the Commencement of Yudhiṣṭhira’s Aśvamedha
आरोहत यथाकामं धर्मोडस्मि द्विज पश्य माम् | तारितो हि त्वया देहो लोके कीर्ति: स्थिरा च ते
ārohata yathākāmaṃ dharmo 'smi dvija paśya mām | tārito hi tvayā deho loke kīrtiḥ sthirā ca te ||
「望むままに乗り込め、婆羅門よ——我を見よ、我こそダルマ(法)である。汝によってこの身はまことに救われ、世における汝の名声もまた揺るがず残るであろう。」
श्षशुर उवाच
Righteous conduct is affirmed and publicly validated: when one acts in accordance with Dharma—protecting and rescuing life—one gains lasting kīrti (good fame), and Dharma itself stands as witness and reward.
The speaker identifies himself as Dharma in person and invites the brāhmaṇa to mount/ascend as he wishes, declaring that the brāhmaṇa has saved his embodied life and that the brāhmaṇa’s reputation in the world will endure.