Shloka 1

धर्मद्वारबहुत्वविमर्शः — Reflection on the Many ‘Doors’ of Dharma (Śānti-parva 342)

Devanagari script

अपन का छा | अप्-७#रात जा - पशुवधसे यहाँ क्या अभिप्राय है

Transliteration

janamejaya uvāca | astauṣīd yair imaṃ vyāsaḥ saśiṣyo madhusūdanam | nāmabhir vividhais teṣāṃ nirukte bhagavan mama |

Translation

Janamejaya sprach: „O Erhabener, erkläre mir die Herleitungen und den gemeinten Sinn der vielen verschiedenen Namen, mit denen der Weise Vyāsa zusammen mit seinen Schülern Madhusūdana pries. Ich wünsche die Auslegung der Namen des Herrn Hari zu hören, des Herrschers über die Prajāpatis; denn durch ihr Hören werde ich rein und makellos werden, wie der Mond im Herbst.“

Word by Word

• जनमेजयः: Janamejaya
• जनमेजयः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: जनमेजय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• उवाच: said
• Type: Verb
• Root: वच् (धातु)
• Form: Perfect (लिट्), 3rd, Singular

• अस्तौषीत्: praised, extolled
• Type: Verb
• Root: स्तु (धातु)
• Form: Imperfect (लङ्), 3rd, Singular

• यैः: by which (names)
• यैः: Karana
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine/Neuter, Instrumental, Plural

• इमम्: this (one)
• इमम्: Karma
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: इदम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Singular

• व्यासः: Vyasa
• व्यासः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: व्यास (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• सशिष्यः: together with (his) disciples
• Type: Adjective
• Root: स-शिष्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• मधुसूदनम्: Madhusudana (Krishna)
• मधुसूदनम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: मधुसूदन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Singular

• नामभिः: by names
• नामभिः: Karana
• Type: Noun
• Root: नामन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter, Instrumental, Plural

• विविधैः: various, diverse
• Type: Adjective
• Root: विविध (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine/Neuter, Instrumental, Plural

• एषाम्: of these (names)
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: एतद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine/Neuter, Genitive, Plural

• निरुक्ते: in the etymological explanation/derivation
• निरुक्ते: Adhikarana
• Type: Noun
• Root: निरुक्त (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक; नि-उच्/वच् + क्त)
• Form: Neuter, Locative, Singular

• भगवन्: O Lord
• Type: Noun
• Root: भगवत् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Vocative, Singular

• मम: to me / of me
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: अस्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Genitive, Singular

Speaker

जनमेजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Janamejaya
• Vyāsa
• disciples of Vyāsa
• Madhusūdana (Kṛṣṇa/Hari)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse foregrounds the ethical and devotional idea that sacred names are not mere labels: their meanings (nirukta) reveal divine qualities, and attentive hearing of such meanings is presented as a means of inner purification.

What is happening in the narrative?

King Janamejaya asks the teacher to explain the derivations and significance of the many epithets used by Vyāsa (with his disciples) in praising Madhusūdana (Kṛṣṇa/Hari), expressing a desire to become purified by hearing those explanations.