Shloka 20
धृतराष्ट्र–दुर्योधन संवादः
Vāraṇāvata-vivāsana-nīti: Dhṛtarāṣṭra and Duryodhana’s Policy Dialogue
तस्मात् तयोरनाम चक्रे तदेव स महीपति: । गोपितौ गौतमस्तत्र तपसा समविन्दत
tasmāt tayor nāma cakre tadeva sa mahīpatiḥ | gopitau gautamas tatra tapasā samavindata |
Vaiśampāyana said: Therefore that king, lord of the earth, bestowed upon the two children those very names. And Gautama, by the power of his austerities (tapas), came to know there that his two offspring—kept hidden and protected—were being reared. The passage highlights the king’s compassionate duty of guardianship and the seer’s inward knowledge gained through tapas.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
A ruler’s dharma includes compassionate protection of the vulnerable; simultaneously, tapas is portrayed as a means of inner knowledge by which a sage can discern distant events concerning his family.
King Śāntanu gives names to the two children he has taken under his care—Kṛpa and Kṛpī—and the sage Gautama, through ascetic insight, learns that his hidden/protected offspring are being raised.