Mahabharata — Shanti Parva, Shloka 24
सुवर्णष्ठीविनोपाख्यानम्
The Account of Suvarṇaṣṭhīvin
ववृधे स यथाकालं सरसीव महोत्पलम् | बभूव काजञ्चनष्ठीवी यथार्थ नाम तस्य तत्
vavṛdhe sa yathākālaṃ sarasīva mahotpalam | babhūva kāñcanaṣṭhīvī yathārthaṃ nāma tasya tat ||
वह यथासमय वैसे ही बढ़ा, जैसे सरोवर में बड़ा कमल बढ़ता है। मुख से सुवर्ण थूकने के कारण वह ‘सुवर्णष्ठीवी’ नाम से प्रसिद्ध हुआ; उसका नाम सचमुच सार्थक था।
पर्वत उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights orderly growth according to time (yathākālam) and suggests an ethical ideal that a person’s name and reputation should correspond to observable reality (yathārtham), i.e., identity is grounded in manifest qualities and deeds.
Parvata describes a prince growing up naturally like a lotus in a lake; the prince becomes famous as Suvarṇaṣṭhīvī because he spits gold, making the epithet literally and meaningfully true.