Shloka 7
धर्मद्वारबहुत्वविमर्शः — Reflection on the Many ‘Doors’ of Dharma (Śānti-parva 342)
तेषां निरुक्त त्वत्तो5हं श्रोतुमिच्छामि केशव । न हान्यो वर्ण येन्नाम्नां निरुक्तं त्वामृते प्रभो
teṣāṁ nirukta tvatto 'haṁ śrotum icchāmi keśava | na hānyo varṇa yen nāmnāṁ niruktaṁ tvāmṛte prabho ||
Arjuna sprach: „O Keśava, ich wünsche von dir die wahren Herleitungen und Erklärungen jener Namen zu hören. Niemand außer dir, o Herr, kann die Bedeutung und Etymologie dieser Namen angemessen darlegen.“
अर्जुन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse emphasizes epistemic humility and the need for an authoritative teacher: subtle meanings—especially the ‘nirukta’ (derivation and intended sense) of sacred names—should be learned from a trustworthy, spiritually competent source.
Arjuna addresses Kṛṣṇa as Keśava and requests that Kṛṣṇa alone explain the derivations and meanings of certain names previously referenced, declaring that no one else is capable of giving a reliable account apart from him.