Shloka 8
Udyoga-parva Adhyāya 69: Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s Reverential Address to Sañjaya on Vāsudeva
वे सत्यसे कभी च्युत नहीं होते और न सत्त्वसे अलग ही होते हैं
na jāyate janitrāyam ajas tasmād anīkajit | devānāṁ svaprakāśatvād damād dāmodaro vibhuḥ ||
न जायते जनित्रायमजस्तस्मादनीकजित् । देवानां स्वप्रकाशत्वाद् दमाद् दामोदरो विभुः ॥
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse teaches that the Lord’s names are not mere labels but ethical-theological indicators: He is ‘Aja’ (unborn, beyond ordinary causation), ‘Anīkajit’ (protector who overcomes hostile forces), and ‘Dāmodara’ (marked by inner restraint and luminous manifestation). The emphasis links divine transcendence with the virtue of self-mastery (dama), suggesting that true power is grounded in inner discipline.
In Udyoga Parva, as war preparations intensify, Sanjaya recounts and characterizes Krishna through a chain of epithets explained by derivation. The narration functions to establish Krishna’s authority and moral stature—unborn, self-luminous, self-controlled, and victorious—thereby framing him as a decisive upholder of dharma in the coming conflict.