Shloka 10
कृपकर्णसंवादः
Kṛpa’s Counsel to Karṇa on Deśa-Kāla and Coordinated Strategy
उत्तर उवाच केनासि विजयो नाम केनासि श्वेतवाहन: । किरीटी नाम केनासि सव्यसाची कथं भवान्,उत्तरने पूछा--किस कारणसे आपका नाम विजय हुआ और किसलिये आप श्वेतवाहन कहलाते हैं? आपके किरीटी नाम धारण करनेका क्या कारण है? और आप सव्यसाची नामसे कैसे प्रसिद्ध हुए?
uttara uvāca | kenāsi vijayo nāma kenāsi śvetavāhanaḥ | kirīṭī nāma kenāsi savyasācī kathaṃ bhavān |
Uttara hỏi: “Vì cớ gì ngài được gọi là ‘Vijaya’—Đấng Chiến Thắng? Vì sao ngài được biết đến là ‘Śvetavāhana’, người có những tuấn mã trắng? Ngài mang danh ‘Kirīṭī’, bậc đội vương miện, do đâu? Và bằng cách nào ngài nổi danh là ‘Savyasācī’?”
उत्तर उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the traditional importance of names and epithets as moral and martial credentials: titles are not mere labels but markers of earned qualities (victory, mastery, royal honor, exceptional skill). It frames heroism as accountable to causes—how and why one becomes worthy of renown.
In the Virāṭa episode, Uttara—curious and increasingly attentive—questions the disguised warrior (Arjuna in concealment) about the origins of his celebrated epithets: ‘Vijaya’, ‘Śvetavāhana’, ‘Kirīṭī’, and ‘Savyasācī’, seeking to understand the deeds and distinctions behind them.