Shloka 7
भीष्मशिबिरगमनम् — Duryodhana’s Visit to Bhīṣma’s Camp and the Command Appeal
अर्जुनस्य सुत: श्रीमानिरावान् नाम वीर्यवान् | सुतायां नागराजस्य जात: पार्थेन धीमता,अर्जुनका पराक्रमी पुत्र श्रीमान् इरावान् नागराज कौरव्यकी पुत्रीके गर्भसे बुद्धिमान् अर्जुनद्वारा उत्पन्न किया गया था
arjunasya sutaḥ śrīmān irāvān nāma vīryavān | sutāyāṃ nāgarājasya jātaḥ pārthena dhīmatā ||
Sanjaya said: Arjuna had a glorious and valiant son named Irāvān. He was born to the wise Pārtha (Arjuna) through the daughter of the king of the Nāgas.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores the Mahābhārata’s emphasis on lineage and responsibility: heroic capacity and rightful participation in the war are not limited by unusual birth. Irāvān’s Nāga connection highlights the epic’s broad social-cosmic order in which diverse beings are drawn into dharma and its consequences.
Sanjaya identifies a warrior on the Pāṇḍava side: Irāvān, Arjuna’s valiant son, specifying his parentage—born to Arjuna through the daughter of the Nāga king—thereby introducing or clarifying his identity within the battle roster/context.