Shloka 21
कृपकर्णसंवादः
Kṛpa’s Counsel to Karṇa on Deśa-Kāla and Coordinated Strategy
अहं दुरापो दुर्धर्षो दमन: पाकशासनि: । तेन देवमनुष्येषु जिष्णुर्नामास्मि विश्रुत:,मुझे पकड़ना या तिरस्कृत करना बहुत कठिन है। मैं इन्द्रका पुत्र एवं शत्रुदमन विजयी वीर हूँ, इसलिये देवताओं और मनुष्योंमें 'जिष्णु” नामसे मेरी ख्याति हुई है। (कृष्णशब्दका अर्थ है--श्यामवर्ण तथा मनको आकर्षित करनेवाला) मेरे शरीरका रंग कृष्ण-गौर है तथा बाल्यावस्थामें चित्ताकर्षक होनेके कारण मैं पिताजीको बहुत प्रिय था। अतः मेरे पिताने ही मेरा दसवाँ नाम “कृष्ण” रखा था
ahaṁ durāpo durdharṣo damanaḥ pākaśāsaniḥ | tena devamanuṣyeṣu jiṣṇur nāmāsmi viśrutaḥ ||
Arjuna said: “I am hard to seize and hard to overpower; I am a subduer of foes, the son of Pākaśāsana (Indra). Therefore, among gods and men I am renowned by the name ‘Jiṣṇu’—the ever-victorious.”
अर्जुन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse foregrounds the dharmic ideal of a kṣatriya: steadfastness, the capacity to subdue adversity, and responsibility grounded in lineage and earned reputation. Arjuna’s epithet ‘Jiṣṇu’ signals victory not as boast alone but as a marker of proven competence and duty-bound strength.
In the Virāṭa Parva context of concealed identity and impending confrontation, Arjuna identifies himself through recognized epithets and lineage—declaring that he is difficult to overpower and known among gods and humans as ‘Jiṣṇu,’ the victorious—thereby asserting credibility and inspiring confidence before action.