Shloka 18

प्रभासे कृष्णार्जुनसमागमः तथा द्वारकाप्रवेशः | Kṛṣṇa–Arjuna Meeting at Prabhāsa and Entry into Dvārakā

Devanagari script

तिल॑ तिल समानीय रत्नानां यद्‌ विनिर्मिता । तिलोत्तमेति तत्‌ तस्या नाम चक्रे पितामह:,उत्तम रत्नोंका तिल-तिलभर अंश लेकर उसके अंगोंका निर्माण हुआ था, इसलिये ब्रह्माजीने उसका नाम “तिलोत्तमा" रख दिया

Transliteration

tilaṁ tila samānīya ratnānāṁ yad vinirmītā | tilottameti tat tasyā nāma cakre pitāmahaḥ ||

Translation

他将上等宝石的精华一粒一粒聚拢，用以塑成她的肢体；因此祖父梵天为她赐名“提洛多摩”（Tilottamā），意为由“提拉—提拉”（微粒般的细份）之最上宝石所成。

Word by Word

तिलम्sesame-seed (a tiny portion)

तिलम्sesame-seed (portion)

समानीयhaving collected/assembled

रत्नानाम्of gems

यत्which (that which)

विनिर्मिताwas fashioned/constructed

तिलोत्तमाTilottamā (name; ‘best/excellent by sesame-seed portions’)

इतिthus

तत्that (name/word)

तस्याःof her

नामname

चक्रेmade/assigned

पितामहःthe Grandsire (Brahmā)

Speaker

नारद उवाच

Characters & Entities

Nārada

Brahmā (Pitāmaha)

Tilottamā

ratna (jewels/gems)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Excellence is portrayed as the result of careful, incremental gathering of the best qualities (‘tilaṁ tila’), and naming is shown as a deliberate act that preserves meaning and origin—an ethical reminder that true refinement comes through measured effort and discernment.

What is happening in the narrative?

Nārada explains that a celestial woman was fashioned from tiny portions of the finest jewels; because her body was formed ‘grain by grain’ from superior gems, Brahmā (the Grandsire) gave her the name Tilottamā.