Shloka 636
तस्मात्तु मान्धातेत्येवं नाम तस्याद्भधुतं कृतम् । तदनन्तर इन्द्रकी अंगुलियोंसे अमृतमय दूध प्रकट हो गया; क्योंकि इन्द्रने करूणावश 'मां धास्यति” (मेरा दूध पीयेगा) ऐसा कहकर उसपर कृपा की थी, इसलिये उसका 'मान्धाता' यह अद्भुत नाम निश्चित कर दिया गया
tasmāt tu māndhātety evaṃ nāma tasyādbhutaṃ kṛtam |
Therefore he was given the wondrous name “Māndhātā.” After this, nectar-like milk manifested from Indra’s finger; for Indra, moved by compassion, had shown him favor saying, “He will drink my milk” (māṃ dhāsyati). Hence the remarkable name “Māndhātā” was firmly established.
नारद उवाच
Educational Q&A
Compassion (dayā) shown by a powerful protector becomes a form of divine grace that sustains life; the episode also illustrates how names in Itihāsa often preserve moral memory through meaningful etymology.
Nārada explains why the child/king received the name Māndhātā: Indra, out of mercy, provided nectar-like milk from his finger and uttered the phrase “māṃ dhāsyati” (“he will drink [from] me”), from which the name is derived and then formally fixed.