Adhyāya 90: Babhruvāhana’s Reception and the Commencement of Yudhiṣṭhira’s Aśvamedha
प्रीतात्मा स तु तं वाक्यमिदमाह द्विजर्ष भम् । वाग्मी तदा द्विजश्रेष्ठो धर्म: पुरुषविग्रह:
prītātmā sa tu taṃ vākyam idam āha dvijarṣabham | vāgmī tadā dvijaśreṣṭho dharmaḥ puruṣavigrahaḥ ||
Com o coração cheio de contentamento, ele disse estas palavras àquele touro entre os brâmanes. Nesse momento, o eloquente melhor dos duas-vezes-nascidos—o próprio Dharma, encarnado em forma humana—dirigiu-se a ele.
श्षशुर उवाच
The verse frames ethical instruction by highlighting Dharma as an embodied, eloquent authority: true guidance is rooted in righteousness and conveyed through disciplined, meaningful speech.
A pleased speaker addresses an eminent Brahmin; the narration identifies the interlocutor as Dharma in human form, signaling that the forthcoming dialogue carries moral and religious weight.