Shloka 1
और्वकृत-क्रोधाग्नि-निग्रहः
Aurva’s Containment of the Wrath-Fire
अर्जुनने कहा--गन्धर्व! तुमने “तपतीनन्दन” कहकर जो बात यहाँ मुझसे कही है, उसके सम्बन्धमें मैं यह जानना चाहता हूँ कि तापत्यका निश्चित अर्थ क्या है?
arjuna uvāca—gandharva! tvayā “tapatīnandana” iti yad atra mayi proktaṃ, tasya sambandhe ’haṃ jñātum icchāmi—tāpatyāyā niścitaḥ arthaḥ kaḥ?
Arjuna said: “O Gandharva, you addressed me here as ‘son of Tapatī.’ I wish to understand the matter behind that expression—what is the definite meaning of the term ‘Tāpatya’?”
अजुन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse models disciplined inquiry: when an epithet implying ancestry is used, Arjuna seeks its precise meaning rather than accepting it vaguely. In epic ethics, clarity about identity and lineage supports truthful speech and proper understanding of one’s place within dharma.
A Gandharva has addressed Arjuna with the epithet “Tapatī’s son.” Arjuna pauses the exchange to ask what “Tāpatya” definitively means, requesting the exact sense and implication of the term.