Shloka 84
Puṣkara-Śapatha Itihāsa (Agastya–Indra Dispute at the Tīrthas) | पुष्कर-शपथ-आख्यानम्
वसिष्ठ उवाच वसिष्ठो5स्मि वरिष्ठो5स्मि वसे वासगृहेष्वपि । वसिष्ठत्वाच्च वासाच्च वसिष्ठ इति विद्धि माम्
vasiṣṭha uvāca | vasiṣṭho 'smi variṣṭho 'smi vase vāsagṛheṣv api | vasiṣṭhatvāc ca vāsāc ca vasiṣṭha iti viddhi mām ||
Васиштха сказал: «Я — Васиштха; я — наилучший. Я пребываю даже в домах тех, кто даёт приют. Знай: меня зовут “Васиштха” и по превосходству моему, и по пребыванию (жилищу)».
वसिष्ठ उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse links a sage’s name with moral and spiritual qualities: true ‘excellence’ (variṣṭhatva) and the capacity to ‘abide’ or be present (vāsa), suggesting that greatness is shown through steady presence and the dharmic practice of hospitality and dwelling among people without losing one’s stature.
Vasiṣṭha speaks in the first person, explaining why he is known as ‘Vasiṣṭha’ by giving a wordplay/etymological justification: he is ‘the best’ and he ‘dwells’—even in lodging-houses—thereby asserting identity and authority while connecting it to conduct and presence.