Shloka 5

Arjuna’s Self-Identification and the Ten Names

Uttara–Arjuna Saṃvāda

Devanagari script

रूक्षवर्णाश्ष जलदा अनबन ्शना: । निःसरन्ति च कोशेभ्य: १ विविधानि च

Transliteration

rūkṣavarṇāś ca jaladā anabhrāśanāḥ | niḥsaranti ca kośebhyaḥ vividhāni ca |

Translation

ରୂକ୍ଷ ବର୍ଣ୍ଣର, ଅବିଚ୍ଛିନ୍ନ ଘନମେଘାବରଣ ବିନା, ମେଘମାନେ ଉଦ୍ଭବ ହେଉଛନ୍ତି; ଏବଂ ସେମାନଙ୍କ ଆବରଣରୁ ନାନା ପ୍ରକାର ରୂପ ପ୍ରକଟ ହେଉଛି।

Word by Word

• रूक्षवर्णाः: of rough/dull color
• रूक्षवर्णाः: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: रूक्षवर्ण
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

• जलदाः: clouds
• जलदाः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: जलद
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

• अनभ्राः: cloudless / without clouds
• अनभ्राः: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अनभ्र
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

• शना: slowly, gently
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: शनैस्

• निःसरन्ति: go out, emerge
• Type: Verb
• Root: निःसृ
• Form: Present, Third, Plural, Parasmaipada

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

• कोशेभ्यः: from the sheaths/cases
• कोशेभ्यः: Apadana
• Type: Noun
• Root: कोश
• Form: Masculine, Ablative, Plural

• विविधानि: various, diverse
• विविधानि: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: विविध
• Form: Neuter, Nominative, Plural

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

Speaker

वैशम्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Vaiśampāyana
• clouds (jaladāḥ)
• sheaths/coverings (kośāḥ)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse uses imagery of clouds and emergence from coverings to suggest that turbulent times reveal what was hidden; ethically, it cautions that concealed tendencies and consequences surface when conditions become severe.

What is happening in the narrative?

The narrator describes an ominous natural scene—grim-colored clouds and various things emerging from their ‘sheaths’—functioning as atmospheric description and a possible portent within the unfolding events of the Virāṭa episode.