Shloka 10
कृपकर्णसंवादः
Kṛpa’s Counsel to Karṇa on Deśa-Kāla and Coordinated Strategy
उत्तर उवाच केनासि विजयो नाम केनासि श्वेतवाहन: । किरीटी नाम केनासि सव्यसाची कथं भवान्,उत्तरने पूछा--किस कारणसे आपका नाम विजय हुआ और किसलिये आप श्वेतवाहन कहलाते हैं? आपके किरीटी नाम धारण करनेका क्या कारण है? और आप सव्यसाची नामसे कैसे प्रसिद्ध हुए?
uttara uvāca | kenāsi vijayo nāma kenāsi śvetavāhanaḥ | kirīṭī nāma kenāsi savyasācī kathaṃ bhavān |
Uttara said: “For what reason are you called ‘Vijaya’? Why are you known as ‘Śvetavāhana’, the one with the white steeds? How did you come to bear the name ‘Kirīṭī’, the diademed one? And in what way are you famed as ‘Savyasācī’?”
उत्तर उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the traditional importance of names and epithets as moral and martial credentials: titles are not mere labels but markers of earned qualities (victory, mastery, royal honor, exceptional skill). It frames heroism as accountable to causes—how and why one becomes worthy of renown.
In the Virāṭa episode, Uttara—curious and increasingly attentive—questions the disguised warrior (Arjuna in concealment) about the origins of his celebrated epithets: ‘Vijaya’, ‘Śvetavāhana’, ‘Kirīṭī’, and ‘Savyasācī’, seeking to understand the deeds and distinctions behind them.