Mahabharata 4.44.11 — Virata Parva, Adhyaya 44, Shloka 11

कृपकर्णसंवादः

Kṛpa’s Counsel to Karṇa on Deśa-Kāla and Coordinated Strategy

Devanagari script

अर्जुन: फाल्गुनो जिष्णु: कृष्णो बीभत्सुरेव च धनंजयश्न केनासि ब्रूहि तन्‍्मम तत्त्वतः

Transliteration

Uttara uvāca—arjunaḥ phālguno jiṣṇuḥ kṛṣṇo bībhatsur eva ca, dhanañjayaś ca; kena asi? brūhi tan mama tattvataḥ.

Translation

એ જ રીતે—તમે ‘અર્જુન’, ‘ફાલ્ગુન’, ‘જિષ્ણુ’, ‘કૃષ્ણ’, ‘બીભત્સુ’ અને ‘ધનંજય’ કેમ કહેવાઓ છો? એ બધું મને તત્ત્વથી સ્પષ્ટ કહી આપો.

Word by Word

• अर्जुनः: Arjuna
• अर्जुनः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: अर्जुन
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• फाल्गुनः: Phālguna (an epithet of Arjuna)
• फाल्गुनः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: फाल्गुन
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• जिष्णुः: Jiṣṇu (the victorious; an epithet)
• जिष्णुः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: जिष्णु
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• कृष्णः: Kṛṣṇa (dark; an epithet)
• कृष्णः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: कृष्ण
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• बीभत्सुः: Bībhatsu (one who shuns the dreadful/loathsome; an epithet)
• बीभत्सुः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: बीभत्सु
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• एव: indeed/also/just
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव

• च: and
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च

• धनंजयः: Dhanañjaya (conqueror of wealth; an epithet)
• धनंजयः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: धनंजय
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• केन: by what? / for what reason?
• केन: Karana
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: किम्
• Form: Masculine/Neuter, Instrumental, Singular

• असि: you are
• Type: Verb
• Root: अस्
• Form: Present, Second, Singular, Parasmaipada

• ब्रूहि: tell (me)
• Type: Verb
• Root: ब्रू
• Form: Imperative, Second, Singular, Parasmaipada

• तत्: that (matter)
• तत्: Karma
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: तद्
• Form: Neuter, Accusative, Singular

• मम: of me / to me
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: अस्मद्
• Form: Genitive, Singular

• तत्त्वतः: truly / in accordance with reality / exactly
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तत्त्वतस्

Speaker

उत्तर उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Uttara
• Arjuna

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights the importance of knowing a person’s true qualities and history behind celebrated titles. Names (epithets) are treated as moral and narrative markers—especially for a warrior—pointing to virtues like victory, restraint from cruelty, and righteous acquisition of wealth.

What is happening in the narrative?

Uttara, curious and impressed, asks the disguised hero to explain why he bears multiple renowned epithets—Arjuna, Phālguna, Jiṣṇu, Kṛṣṇa, Bībhatsu, and Dhanañjaya—requesting a clear and truthful account of their origins.