Mahabharata 1.210.18 — Adi Parva, Adhyaya 210, Shloka 18
प्रभासे कृष्णार्जुनसमागमः तथा द्वारकाप्रवेशः | Kṛṣṇa–Arjuna Meeting at Prabhāsa and Entry into Dvārakā
तिल॑ तिल समानीय रत्नानां यद् विनिर्मिता । तिलोत्तमेति तत् तस्या नाम चक्रे पितामह:,उत्तम रत्नोंका तिल-तिलभर अंश लेकर उसके अंगोंका निर्माण हुआ था, इसलिये ब्रह्माजीने उसका नाम “तिलोत्तमा" रख दिया
tilaṁ tila samānīya ratnānāṁ yad vinirmītā | tilottameti tat tasyā nāma cakre pitāmahaḥ ||
উত্তম ৰত্নৰ তিল-তিল অংশ সমাহাৰ কৰি তাইৰ অঙ্গ-প্ৰত্যঙ্গ গঢ়া হৈছিল; সেয়েহে পিতামহ ব্রহ্মাই তাইৰ নাম ‘তিলোত্তমা’ ৰাখিলে।
नारद उवाच
Educational Q&A
Excellence is portrayed as the result of careful, incremental gathering of the best qualities (‘tilaṁ tila’), and naming is shown as a deliberate act that preserves meaning and origin—an ethical reminder that true refinement comes through measured effort and discernment.
Nārada explains that a celestial woman was fashioned from tiny portions of the finest jewels; because her body was formed ‘grain by grain’ from superior gems, Brahmā (the Grandsire) gave her the name Tilottamā.
Ask anything about this verse
Curious about the meaning, context, or a word? Ask, and continue the conversation in the Vedapath app.
A free Google sign-in keeps your chat saved across web and the app.
Read Mahabharata in the Vedapath app
Scan the QR code to open this directly in the app, with audio, word-by-word meanings, and more.