Shloka 226
Āścarya-kathana: Brāhmaṇa–Nāga Dialogue on Sūrya (Vivasvat) and the ‘Second Sun’ Phenomenon
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
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 |
वैशम्पायन उवाच— वायुना द्विपदां श्रेष्ठ कथितो जगदायुषा। ऋग्वेदपाठे चायं दुश्चरो धर्मः स्फुटं पठ्यते॥ नरश्रेष्ठ, स सनातनो धर्मः सुपर्णात् जगत्प्राणभूतेन वायुना प्राप्तः॥
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
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).
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.