Shloka 119

Devanagari script

नामधेयानि लोकेषु बहुन्यस्य यथार्थवत्‌ । निरुच्यन्ते महत्त्वाच्च विभुत्वात्‌ कर्मणस्तथा,उनकी महत्ता, सर्वव्यापकता तथा कर्मके अनुसार लोकमें इनके बहुत-से यथार्थ नाम बताये जाते हैं

Transliteration

nāmadheyāni lokeṣu bahūny asya yathārthavat | nirucyante mahattvāc ca vibhutvāt karmaṇas tathā ||

Translation

Vyāsa sprach: In der Welt werden ihm mit Recht viele Namen beigelegt—Namen, die wahrhaft passen—aufgrund seiner Größe, seiner allgegenwärtigen Souveränität und der Art seiner Taten. Die Lehre besagt, dass göttliche Beinamen keine willkürlichen Etiketten sind, sondern aus erkannten Eigenschaften und Handlungen hervorgehen und die Menschen anleiten, nach wahrem Verdienst zu erinnern und zu urteilen, nicht nach bloßer Konvention.

Word by Word

नामधेयानिnames, appellations

लोकेषुin the worlds / among people

बहूनिmany

अस्यof him/this (of this one)

यथार्थवत्truthful, in accordance with reality

निरुच्यन्तेare stated/explained/expressed

महत्त्वात्because of greatness

चand

विभुत्वात्because of omnipresence/sovereignty

कर्मणःof (his) action/deed

तथाthus, likewise

Speaker

व्यास उवाच

Characters & Entities

Vyāsa

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Names and titles gain legitimacy from real qualities and deeds. The verse frames epithets as meaningful indicators of greatness, pervasive power, and action—encouraging discernment based on true attributes rather than empty reputation.

What is happening in the narrative?

Vyāsa is explaining why a particular exalted figure is known by many accurate names in the world: people describe and derive these names in accordance with that figure’s greatness, all-pervading might, and deeds.