Shloka 54
Vasiṣṭhasya śokaḥ, Vipāśā–Śatadrū-nāmākaraṇam, Kalmāṣapādasya bhaya-prasaṅgaḥ (Ādi Parva 167)
कृष्णेत्येवाब्रुवन् कृष्णां कृष्णाभूत् सा हि वर्णत: । तथा तन्मिथुनं जज्ञे द्रपदस्य महामखे,तत्पश्चात् उन्होंने कुमारीका नाम कृष्णा रखा; क्योंकि वह शरीरसे कृष्ण (श्याम) वर्णकी थी। इस प्रकार ट्रपदके महान् यजञ्ञमें वे जुड़वीं संतानें उत्पन्न हुईं
kṛṣṇety evābruvan kṛṣṇāṃ kṛṣṇābhūt sā hi varṇataḥ | tathā tan-mithunaṃ jajñe drapadasya mahāmakhe ||
Dann nannten sie das Mädchen „Kṛṣṇā“, denn sie war von dunkler Hautfarbe. So wurde in Drupadas großem Opfer jene Zwillingspaar geboren.
ब्राह्मण उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how ritual action and intention (yajña and saṅkalpa) are believed to yield consequential results, and how naming reflects perceived qualities (here, complexion). It also foreshadows that extraordinary births in epic narrative often carry a sense of destiny and moral consequence for the wider polity.
In Drupada’s grand sacrifice, a twin pair is born; the maiden is named Kṛṣṇā because she is dark in complexion. This refers to the birth of Draupadī (and implicitly her twin brother), marking a pivotal origin point for later events in the epic.