Shloka 38
Drupada’s Putrakāmeṣṭi: The Sacrificial Birth of Dhṛṣṭadyumna and Kṛṣṇā
घटो हास्योत्कच इति माता त॑ प्रत्यभाषत । अब्रवीत् तेन नामास्य घटोत्कच इति सम ह,बालककी माताने भीमसेनसे कहा--“इसका घट (सिर) उत्कच- अर्थात् केशरहित है।' उसके इस कथनसे ही उसका नाम घटोत्कच हो गया
ghaṭo hāsyotkaca iti mātā taṁ pratyabhāṣata | abravīt tena nāmāsya ghaṭotkaca iti sama ha |
Dijo Vaiśampāyana: Su madre se dirigió al niño diciendo: “Este es ‘Ghaṭa’ y ‘Ut-kaca’: su cabeza es como una vasija y su cabello está rapado (o ausente)”. De esa misma observación quedó establecido su nombre: Ghaṭotkaca.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
Words can crystallize identity: a single descriptive utterance may become a lasting name and social memory, reminding readers to speak thoughtfully and recognize how labels shape perception.
The narrator explains how the child received the name Ghaṭotkaca: his mother jokingly described him as ‘pot-headed’ and ‘shorn/hairless,’ and that description became his established name.