Shloka 8
गोत्राणां नामधेयानां कुलानां चैव मारिष | श्रवणाद्धि विजानीम: पञ्चालान् कुरुभि: सह,आर्य! नाम, गोत्र और कुलोंका परिचय सुनकर ही हमलोग उस समय कौरवोंके साथ युद्ध करनेवाले पांचालोंको पहचान पाते थे
gotrāṇāṁ nāmadheyānāṁ kulānāṁ caiva māriṣa | śravaṇād dhi vijānīmaḥ pañcālān kurubhiḥ saha ārya ||
Sañjaya said: “O venerable one, it was by hearing their gotras—clan lineages—their personal names, and their family affiliations that we could recognize the Pāñcālas who had come to fight alongside the Kurus at that time. Mere report of their identities made them known to us.”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how, in the epic’s martial and social world, identity is grounded in lineage (gotra), family (kula), and name—markers that establish recognition, reputation, and social placement amid the confusion of war.
Sañjaya reports to Dhṛtarāṣṭra that the Pāñcāla fighters present on the battlefield could be identified by hearing their names and genealogical affiliations, enabling observers to distinguish them among the forces engaged with the Kurus.