Shloka 86
Duḥṣantasya Vana-praveśaḥ
King Duḥṣanta’s Entry into the Forest Hunt
एवं द्वैपायनो जज्ञे सत्यवत्यां पराशरात् | न्यस्तो द्वीपे स यद् बालस्तस्माद् द्वैपायन: स्मृत:,इस प्रकार महर्षि पराशरद्वारा सत्यवतीके गर्भसे द्वैपायन व्यासजीका जन्म हुआ। वे बाल्यावस्थामें ही यमुनाके द्वीपमें छोड़ दिये गये, इसलिये “द्वैपायन' नामसे प्रसिद्ध हुए
evaṃ dvaipāyano jajñe satyavatyāṃ parāśarāt | nyasto dvīpe sa yad bālas tasmād dvaipāyanaḥ smṛtaḥ |
Vaiśampāyana said: Thus Dvaipāyana (Vyāsa) was born from Satyavatī through the sage Parāśara. And because, while still a child, he was left on an island, he came to be remembered by the name “Dvaipāyana” (the island-born).
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how identity in the epic tradition is often preserved through meaningful names: Dvaipāyana’s epithet records both his origin (birth from Satyavatī through Parāśara) and a defining circumstance (being left on an island), underscoring the importance of lineage and remembered deeds in dharmic history.
Vaiśampāyana explains the birth of the sage Dvaipāyana (Vyāsa): he is born from Satyavatī by Parāśara, and because he was left on an island as a child, he became known as “Dvaipāyana,” the island-born.