Shloka 49
धृतराष्ट्र–दुर्योधन संवादः
Vāraṇāvata-vivāsana-nīti: Dhṛtarāṣṭra and Duryodhana’s Policy Dialogue
अश्वृत्थामैव बालो<यं तस्मान्नाम्ना भविष्यति । सुतेन तेन सुप्रीतो भारद्वाजस्ततो5भवत्,उसे सुनकर अन्तरिक्षमें स्थित किसी अदृश्य चेतनने कहा--“इस बालकके चिल्लाते समय अश्वके समान शब्द सम्पूर्ण दिशाओंमें गूँज उठा है; अतः यह अअश्वत्थामा नामसे ही प्रसिद्ध होगा।” उस पुत्रसे भरद्वाजनन्दन द्रोणको बड़ी प्रसन्नता हुई
Vaiśampāyana uvāca: Aśvatthāmaiva bālo ’yaṃ tasmān nāmnā bhaviṣyati | sutena tena suprīto Bhāradvājas tato ’bhavat ||
Vaiśampāyana said: “This child will indeed be known as Aśvatthāman; therefore he shall bear that name.” Hearing this—how the infant’s cry had resounded through all directions like the sound of a horse—Droṇa, the son of Bharadvāja, became deeply pleased with that son. The passage underscores how a name is tied to an observed sign and how paternal joy and social recognition gather around the child’s first manifestation of strength.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how identity in epic culture is shaped by observable signs and communal recognition: a name is not merely a label but a marker of perceived nature and future reputation, while parental joy is framed as a dharmic affirmation of lineage and continuity.
The narrator states that the child will be known as Aśvatthāmā, a name linked to the horse-like resonance of his cry; as a result, Droṇa (called ‘Bhāradvāja’s son’) becomes very pleased with his newborn son.