Shloka 3
धर्मद्वारबहुत्वविमर्शः — Reflection on the Many ‘Doors’ of Dharma (Śānti-parva 342)
वैशम्पायन उवाच शृणु राजन् यथा<<चष्ट फाल्गुनस्य हरि: प्रभु: । प्रसन्नात्मा55त्मनो नाम्नां निरुक्त गुणकर्मजम्,वैशम्पायनजीने कहा--राजन्! भगवान् श्रीहरिने अर्जुनपर प्रसन्न होकर उनसे गुण और कर्मके अनुसार स्वयं अपने नामोंकी जैसी व्याख्या की थी, वही तुम्हें सुना रहा हूँ, सुनो
vaiśampāyana uvāca | śṛṇu rājan yathā caṣṭa phālgunasya hariḥ prabhuḥ | prasannātmā ātmano nāmnāṁ niruktaṁ guṇa-karma-jam ||
Vaiśampāyana sprach: „O König, höre. Ich will dir genau berichten, wie der Herr Hari, der erhabene Souverän, mit heiterer und gnädiger Seele Phālguna (Arjuna) die Bedeutungen Seiner eigenen Namen gemäß Seinen Eigenschaften und Taten erklärte.“
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse frames a method of understanding the Divine: the Lord’s names are not arbitrary but are to be interpreted through His guṇas (attributes) and karmas (deeds). This links devotion (remembering names) with ethical-theological reflection (what those names signify in conduct and character).
Vaiśampāyana addresses the king and introduces a forthcoming discourse: he will recount how Lord Hari, pleased with Arjuna (Phālguna), explained the derivations and meanings of His own names. This serves as a preface to a section focused on the significance of divine epithets.