Mahabharata 4.39.10 — Virata Parva, Adhyaya 39, Shloka 10

Arjuna’s Self-Identification and the Ten Names

Uttara–Arjuna Saṃvāda

Devanagari script

नदीज लड्केशवनारिकेतु- न॑गाह्वयो नाम नगारिसूनु: । एषो<ड्रनावेषधर: किरीटी जित्वा5व य॑ नेष्यति चाद्य गा व:

Transliteration

vaiśampāyana uvāca |

nadīja-laṅkeśa-vanāriketunagāhvayo nāma nagārisūnuḥ |

eṣo 'ḍranāveṣadharaḥ kirīṭī jitvā 'va yaṃ neṣyati cādya gā vaḥ ||

Translation

ಗಂಗಾನಂದನನೇ! ಧ್ವಜದ ಮೇಲೆ ಹನುಮಾನ್ ವಿರಾಜಮಾನನಾಗಿರುವ, ಕಿರೀಟಧಾರಿ ಧನಂಜಯ—ಇಂದ್ರಸೂನು—ಮತ್ತು ವೃಕ್ಷನಾಮದಿಂದಲೂ ಪ್ರಸಿದ್ಧನಾದವನೇ, ಸ್ತ್ರೀವೇಷ ಧರಿಸಿ ಇಲ್ಲಿ ಬರುತ್ತಿದ್ದಾನೆ. ಇಂದು ಯಾರನ್ನು ಜಯಿಸಿ ನಮ್ಮ ಈ ಹಸುಗಳನ್ನು ಮರಳಿ ಕರೆದೊಯ್ಯುವನೋ—ಆ ದುರ್ಯೋಧನನನ್ನು ರಕ್ಷಿಸಿರಿ.

Word by Word

• नदीज: O river-born one (Ganga’s son)
• नदीज: Sambodhana
• Type: Noun
• Root: नदीज
• Form: Masculine, Vocative, Singular

• लङ्केश-वनारि-केतु: he whose banner bears the enemy of the lord of Lanka (Hanuman)
• लङ्केश-वनारि-केतु: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: लङ्केश-वनारि-केतु
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• नगाह्वयः: he who is named after a tree/mountain (Arjuna)
• नगाह्वयः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: नगाह्वय
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• नाम: by name / indeed
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: नाम

• नगारिसूनुः: son of the enemy of mountains (son of Indra)
• नगारिसूनुः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: नग-आरि-सूनु
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• एषः: this (man)
• एषः: Karta
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: एतद्
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• नारी-वेष-धरः: wearing a woman’s disguise
• नारी-वेष-धरः: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: नारी-वेष-धर
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• किरीटी: the diadem-wearer
• किरीटी: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: किरीटिन्
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• जित्वा: having conquered
• Type: Verb
• Root: जि
• Form: क्त्वा (absolutive), Parasmaipada (usage-neutral)

• इव: as if / like
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: इव

• यः: who
• यः: Karta
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: यद्
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• नेष्यति: will lead / will take away
• Type: Verb
• Root: नी
• Form: Simple Future (लृट्), 3rd, Singular, Parasmaipada

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

• अद्य: today
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अद्य

• गाः: cows
• गाः: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: गो
• Form: Feminine, Accusative, Plural

• वः: of you / your
• वः: Shashthi-sambandha
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: युष्मद्
• Form: 2nd, Genitive, Plural

Speaker

वैशम्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Vaiśampāyana
• Gaṅgā
• Bhīṣma (Gaṅgānandana)
• Arjuna (Dhanañjaya, Kirīṭī, Indra-putra, Nagāhvaya)
• Indra
• Hanumān
• Laṅkā
• Rāvaṇa (implied by Laṅkeśa)
• Duryodhana
• cows (gāvaḥ)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights kṣatriya responsibility: when one’s people and property are threatened, protection and rightful recovery are duties. It also shows ethical realism—recognizing true strength (Arjuna) and urging prudent protection of one’s leader (Duryodhana) rather than reckless pride.

What is happening in the narrative?

During the cattle-recovery episode in Virāṭa’s kingdom, Arjuna—living incognito and presently in a feminine disguise—approaches the battlefield. The speaker identifies him by his epithets (Hanumān-bannered, Indra’s son, ‘Arjuna’ as a tree-name) and warns that he will defeat the aggressor and reclaim the cows, urging Bhīṣma to safeguard Duryodhana.