Shloka 226

Āścarya-kathana: Brāhmaṇa–Nāga Dialogue on Sūrya (Vivasvat) and the ‘Second Sun’ Phenomenon

Devanagari script

वायुना द्विपदां श्रेष्ठ कथितो जगदायुषा । यह दुष्कर धर्म ऋग्वेदके पाठमें स्पष्टरूपसे पढ़ा गया है। नरश्रेष्ठ! सुपर्णसे उस सनातन धर्मको इस जगत्‌के प्राणस्वरूप वायुने प्राप्त किया

Transliteration

vāyunā dvipadāṃ śreṣṭha kathito jagadāyuṣā | yaḥ duṣkara-dharma ṛgvedake pāṭhe spaṣṭa-rūpase paṭhā gayā hai | naraśreṣṭha! suparṇase usa sanātana-dharmako asya jagat-ke prāṇa-svarūpa vāyunā prāpta kiyā |

Translation

Вайшампаяна сказал: «О лучший из двуногих, это учение было передано Ваю — самому дыханию жизни мира. Та вечная Дхарма, трудная для исполнения, ясно произносится в традиции чтения Ригведы. О лучший из людей, Ваю, действующий как жизненная сила вселенной, получил эту безвременную Дхарму от Супарны (Гаруды).»

Word by Word

• वायुना: by the Wind (Vayu)
• वायुना: Karana
• Type: Noun
• Root: वायु
• Form: Masculine, Instrumental, Singular

• द्विपदाम्: of bipeds (men)
• द्विपदाम्: Adhikarana
• Type: Noun
• Root: द्विपद
• Form: Masculine/Feminine, Genitive, Plural

• श्रेष्ठ: O best (one)
• श्रेष्ठ: Adhikarana
• Type: Noun
• Root: श्रेष्ठ
• Form: Masculine, Vocative, Singular

• कथितः: was told/declared
• कथितः: Karta
• Type: Verb
• Root: कथित
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular, क्त (past passive participle)

• जगदायुषा: by (him who is) the life of the world
• जगदायुषा: Karana
• Type: Noun
• Root: जगदायुष्
• Form: Masculine, Instrumental, Singular

Speaker

वैशम्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Vaiśampāyana
• Vāyu
• Suparṇa (Garuḍa)
• Ṛgveda

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse emphasizes that ‘sanātana-dharma’ is ancient, authoritative, and difficult to practise, and that it is preserved through a sacred lineage of transmission—grounded in Vedic recitation—linking cosmic forces (Vāyu) and divine beings (Suparṇa/Garuḍa).

What is happening in the narrative?

Vaiśampāyana identifies the source and pedigree of a Dharma teaching: it is said to be taught by Vāyu (the world’s life-breath), explicitly attested in the Ṛgvedic tradition, and received by Vāyu from Suparṇa (Garuḍa), establishing its antiquity and credibility.