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 |
Sesudah itu para dewa mendekati Prajāpati, Viṣṇu Yang Terpuji, lalu berkata: “Wahai Tuhan, nyatakanlah nama lelaki di antara manusia yang berhak mencapai martabat tertinggi.” Maka Tuhan, Nārāyaṇa yang ilahi, merenung sejenak, lalu dengan sinar kemuliaan-Nya sendiri menciptakan seorang putera lahir dari minda—suci dan tanpa noda—yang kemudian termasyhur dengan nama 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.