Shloka 12
आदि पर्व, अध्याय 96 — काश्यकन्याहरणं, शाल्वसमागमः, अम्बावचनं च
Kāśī princesses taken; encounter with Śālva; Ambā’s declaration
जनमेजय: खल्ल्वनन्तां नामोपयेमे माधवीम् । तस्यामस्य जज्ञे प्राचिन्चान; यः प्राचीं दिशं जिगाय यावत् सूर्योदयात्, ततस्तस्य प्राचिन्वत्त्वम्,जनमेजयने मधुवंशकी कन्या अनन्ताके साथ विवाह किया था। उसके गर्भसे उनके प्राचिन्वान् नामक पुत्र उत्पन्न हुआ। उसने उदयाचलसे लेकर सारी प्राची दिशाको एक ही दिनमें जीत लिया था; इसीलिये उसका नाम प्राचिन्वान् हुआ
Vaiśampāyana uvāca: Janamejayaḥ khalv Anantāṃ nāmopayeme Mādhavīm. Tasyām asya jajñe Prācinvān, yaḥ prācīṃ diśaṃ jigāya yāvat sūryodayāt; tatas tasya prācinvattvam.
Vaiśampāyana said: King Janamejaya married a Mādhavī maiden named Anantā. From her he begot a son called Prācinvān. That son conquered the entire eastern quarter in a single day, from the moment of sunrise onward; therefore he came to be known as Prācinvān—“the one of the East.”
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores how royal identity is framed through lineage and public deeds: a king’s offspring gains a name and reputation based on notable action. It also illustrates a common epic motif—etymological naming—where a person’s epithet is justified by a defining achievement.
Vaiśampāyana reports that Janamejaya married Anantā, a Mādhavī woman, and they had a son named Prācinvān. The son is said to have conquered the eastern quarter within a single day beginning at sunrise, and this feat explains why he was called Prācinvān.