Atithi-satkāra and the Consolation of Wise Counsel (अतिथिसत्कारः प्रज्ञानवचनस्य च पराश्वासनम्)
तथैवासं त्रिककुदो वाराहं रूपमास्थित: । त्रिककुत् तेन विख्यात: शरीरस्य तु मापनात्
tathaivāsaṃ trikakudo vārāhaṃ rūpam āsthitaḥ | trikakut tena vikhyātaḥ śarīrasya tu māpanāt ||
Cũng như vậy, ta đã mang lấy hình tướng Varāha (lợn rừng), trên thân có ba u lồi nổi bật. Chính vì ba chỗ nhô cao ấy—được xem như những dấu đo của thân thể—mà ta được biết đến với danh xưng “Trikakut”.
तामिन्द्र उवाच गच्छ नहुषस्त्वया वाच्योथ<पूर्वेण मामृषियुक्तेन यानेन त्वमधिरूढ
The verse illustrates how names and reputations (vikhyāti) can arise from observable qualities and deeds—here, a distinctive bodily feature in a chosen form—highlighting the Mahābhārata’s recurring idea that identity is often defined by conduct and manifest attributes rather than mere lineage or claim.
The speaker recounts a past transformation into a boar form characterized by three raised humps/peaks, explaining that this physical trait became the basis for the epithet ‘Trikakut,’ an etiological note on how the name originated.