Shloka 11
कृपकर्णसंवादः
Kṛpa’s Counsel to Karṇa on Deśa-Kāla and Coordinated Strategy
अर्जुन: फाल्गुनो जिष्णु: कृष्णो बीभत्सुरेव च धनंजयश्न केनासि ब्रूहि तन््मम तत्त्वतः,इसी प्रकार आपके अर्जुन, फाल्गुन, जिष्णु, कृष्ण, बीभत्सु और धनंजय नाम पड़नेका भी क्या कारण है? यह सब मुझे ठीक-ठीक बताइये
Uttara uvāca—arjunaḥ phālguno jiṣṇuḥ kṛṣṇo bībhatsur eva ca, dhanañjayaś ca; kena asi? brūhi tan mama tattvataḥ.
അതുപോലെ—നീ ‘അർജുനൻ’, ‘ഫാൽഗുനൻ’, ‘ജിഷ്ണു’, ‘കൃഷ്ണൻ’, ‘ബീഭത്സു’, ‘ധനഞ്ജയൻ’ എന്നു എന്തുകൊണ്ട് വിളിക്കപ്പെടുന്നു? അതിന്റെ യഥാർത്ഥ കാരണങ്ങൾ എനിക്ക് തത്ത്വമായി വ്യക്തമാക്കുക.
उत्तर उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the importance of knowing a person’s true qualities and history behind celebrated titles. Names (epithets) are treated as moral and narrative markers—especially for a warrior—pointing to virtues like victory, restraint from cruelty, and righteous acquisition of wealth.
Uttara, curious and impressed, asks the disguised hero to explain why he bears multiple renowned epithets—Arjuna, Phālguna, Jiṣṇu, Kṛṣṇa, Bībhatsu, and Dhanañjaya—requesting a clear and truthful account of their origins.