Shloka 10

Udyoga-parva Adhyāya 69: Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s Reverential Address to Sañjaya on Vāsudeva

Devanagari script

अधो न क्षीयते जातु यस्मात्‌ तस्मादधोक्षज: । नराणामयनाच्चापि ततो नारायण: स्मृत:,श्रीकृष्ण कभी नीचे गिरकर क्षीण नहीं होते, अतः (“अधो न क्षीयते जातु'--इस व्युत्पत्तिके अनुसार) “अधोक्षज' कहलाते हैं। वे नरों (जीवात्माओं)-के अयन (आश्रय) हैं, इसलिये उन्हें “नारायण” भी कहते हैं

Translation

Sañjaya said: Krishna never falls downward and is never diminished; therefore, by the etymology “adhō na kṣīyate jātu,” he is called Adhokṣaja. And because he is the āyana—the refuge—of the nara (living souls), he is also remembered as Nārāyaṇa.

Word by Word

अधःdownwards/below

नnot

क्षीयतेdecays/diminishes

जातुever/at any time

यस्मात्from which/therefore (since)

तस्मात्therefore/from that

अधोक्षजःAdhokṣaja (a name of Viṣṇu/Kṛṣṇa)

नराणाम्of men/of beings

अयनात्from being the refuge/abode (ayana)

चand/also

अपिalso/even

ततःtherefore/from that

नारायणःNārāyaṇa

स्मृतःis called/is remembered as

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Cross References

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes