Shloka 40
इत्युक्तास्ते ततः सर्वे समन््तादवभाषिरे | कर्णो5हं भीमसेनो5हमर्जुनो5हमिति प्रभो,उनके इस प्रकार पूछनेपर वे सब चारों ओरसे बोलने लगे--'प्रभो! मैं कर्ण हूँ। मैं भीमसेन हूँ। मैं अर्जुन हूँ। मैं नकुल हूँ। मैं सहदेव हूँ। मैं धृष्टद्युम्न हूँ। मैं द्रौपदी हूँ और हमलोग द्रौपदीके पुत्र हैं।! इस प्रकार वे सब लोग चिल्ला-चिल्लाकर अपना-अपना नाम बताने लगे
ity uktās te tataḥ sarve samantād avabhāṣire | karṇo 'haṃ bhīmaseno 'ham arjuno 'ham iti prabho ||
Vaiśampāyana said: When they had thus been addressed, all of them began to call out from every side: “O lord, I am Karṇa; I am Bhīmasena; I am Arjuna,” and so on—each proclaiming his or her own identity: Nakula, Sahadeva, Dhṛṣṭadyumna, Draupadī, and Draupadī’s sons.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the ethical and existential weight of identity and accountability: at decisive moments, individuals seek recognition and affirmation of who they are. In the Mahābhārata’s closing movement, this insistence on naming oneself also reflects the human desire for moral and narrative acknowledgment—being ‘counted’ and ‘known’ as one faces the consequences of life and war.
After being addressed (and effectively prompted to identify themselves), the assembled figures call out from all directions, each declaring, “I am Karṇa,” “I am Bhīmasena,” “I am Arjuna,” etc. The passage depicts a loud, many-voiced scene of self-identification, including Draupadī and her sons, emphasizing the confusion and urgency of recognition in the Svargārohaṇa episode.