Shloka 45
Svargārohaṇa-parva Adhyāya 5 — Karmaphala-Nirdeśa and Phalāśruti (कर्मफलनिर्देशः फलश्रुतिश्च)
भरतानां महज्जन्म तस्माद् भारतमुच्यते । महत्त्वाद् भारवत्त्वाच्च महाभारतमुच्यते । निरुक्तमस्य यो वेद सर्वपापै: प्रमुच्यते
bharatānāṃ mahaj janma tasmād bhāratam ucyate | mahattvād bhāravattvāc ca mahābhāratam ucyate | niruktam asya yo veda sarvapāpaiḥ pramucyate |
Vaiśampāyana berkata: “Kerana karya ini mengisahkan kelahiran yang agung serta perbuatan besar keturunan Bharata, maka ia dinamakan Bhārata. Dan kerana ia luas dalam kebesaran serta berat dalam inti makna, maka ia dinamakan Mahābhārata. Sesiapa yang benar-benar mengetahui dan memahami makna etimologi karya ini akan terlepas daripada segala dosa.”
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse teaches that the epic’s very name encodes its purpose and authority: it narrates the exalted lineage and deeds of the Bharatas, and it is ‘great’ and ‘weighty’ in meaning. Understanding this (not merely reciting it) is presented as spiritually purifying, freeing one from sin.
In Vaiśampāyana’s narration, a brief meta-explanation is given about the title of the text itself—why it is called Bhārata and Mahābhārata—and the religious merit attributed to knowing this derivation.