Shloka 29
Go-mahātmyam: Pavitrāṇāṃ Pavitraṃ
Cows and Ghee as Supreme Purifiers
ध्वजं च वाहनं चैव तस्मात् स वृषभध्वज: । महादेवजी प्रसन्न हुए। उन्होंने वृषभको अपना वाहन बनाया और उसीकी आकृतिसे अपनी ध्वजाको चिह्नित किया, इसीलिये वे “वृषभध्वज” कहलाये ।।
bhīṣma uvāca | dhvajaṃ ca vāhanaṃ caiva tasmāt sa vṛṣabhadhvajaḥ | tato devair mahādevas tadā paśupatiḥ kṛtaḥ | īśvaraḥ sa gavāṃ madhye vṛṣabhāṅkaḥ prakīrtitaḥ |
毗湿摩说道：“因此他被称为‘弗利沙婆陀伐阇（Vṛṣabhadhvaja）’——旗帜绘有公牛之主，因为他以公牛为乘具，又以其形为旌旗之徽。其后，诸天推举摩诃提婆为‘帕舒帕提（Paśupati）’——众生之主；而在群牛之中，同一位至上之主又以‘弗利沙婆昂迦（Vṛṣabhāṅka）’之名被颂扬，即‘身具公牛印记者’。”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse explains how divine names arise from attributes and symbols: Śiva’s relationship with the bull (as mount and banner-emblem) signifies sovereignty, protection, and lordship over living beings, hence titles like Vṛṣabhadhvaja and Paśupati.
Bhīṣma recounts that the gods honored Mahādeva by assigning him lordship over creatures (Paśupati) and by celebrating him with epithets connected to the bull, since the bull became both his vehicle and the emblem on his standard.