Shloka 24

पाण्डोः तपः-प्रसङ्गः, ऋण-धर्मः, अपत्य-प्राप्ति-चिन्ता

Pāṇḍu’s Asceticism, the Doctrine of Debts, and Deliberations on Progeny

Devanagari script

नामधेयं च चक्राते तस्य बालस्य तायुभौ | वसुना सह जातो<यं वसुषेणो भवत्विति,उन दम्पतिने उस बालकका नामकरण इस प्रकार किया; यह वसु (कवच-कुण्डलादि धन)-के साथ उत्पन्न हुआ है, इसलिये वसुषेण नामसे प्रसिद्ध हो

Transliteration

nāmadheyaṃ ca cakrāte tasya bālasya tāyubhau | vasunā saha jāto 'yaṃ vasuṣeṇo bhavatv iti ||

Translation

Vaiśampāyana said: The couple then performed the naming of the child, saying, “This one has been born together with wealth (protective gifts); therefore let him be known as Vasuṣeṇa.”

Word by Word

नामधेयम्name (appellation)

चand

चक्रातेthey made/assigned

तस्यof that (boy)

बालस्यof the child

तायूthe two parents

उभौboth

वसुनाwith wealth / with (the) Vasus (i.e., riches such as armor and earrings)

सहtogether with

जातःborn

अयम्this (one)

वसुषेणःVasuṣeṇa (he whose army/host is wealth; proper name)

भवतुlet (him) be / may (he) be

इतिthus

Speaker

वैशम्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

Vaiśampāyana

the child (Vasuṣeṇa)

the parents/couple

vasu (wealth; protective gifts such as kavaca-kuṇḍala)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Cross References

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Names in the Mahābhārata often encode destiny and social perception: the child’s identity is framed by the extraordinary ‘wealth’ he is born with, hinting that gifts and status can become both protection and a source of later ethical conflict.

What is happening in the narrative?

Vaiśampāyana narrates that the parents perform the child’s naming and declare that since he was born together with ‘vasu’ (valuables/protective gifts), he should be called Vasuṣeṇa.