Chapter 44
“Uttara said, ‘Indeed, these weapons adorned with gold, belonging to thelight-handed and high-souled Partha, look exceedingly beautiful. Butwhere are that Arjuna, the son of Pritha, and Yudhishthira of the Kururace, and Nakula, and Sahadeva, and Bhimasena, the sons of Pandu? Havinglost their kingdom at dice, the high-souled Pandavas, capable ofdestroying all foes, are no longer heard of. Where also is Draupadi, theprincess of Panchala, famed as the gem among women, who followed the sonsof Pandu after their defeat at dice to the forest?’
“Arjuna said, ‘I am Arjuna, called also Partha. Thy father’s courtier isYudhishthira and thy father’s cook Vallava is Bhimasena, the groom ofhorses is Nakula, and Sahadeva is in the cow-pen. And know thou that theSairindhri is Draupadi, for whose sake the Kichakas have been slain.’
“Uttara said, ‘I would believe all this if thou canst enumerate the tennames of Partha, previously heard by me!’
“Arjuna said, ‘I will, O son of Virata, tell thee my ten names. Listenthou and compare them with what thou hadst heard before. Listen to themwith close attention and concentrated mind. They are Arjuna, Falguna,Jishnu, Kiritin, Swetavahana, Vibhatsu, Vijaya, Krishna, Savyasachin andDhananjaya.”
“Uttara said, ‘Tell me truly why art thou called Vijaya, and whySwetavahana. Why art thou named Krishna and why Arjuna and Falguna andJishnu and Kiritin and Vibhatsu, and for what art thou Dhananjaya andSavyasachin? I have heard before about the origin of the several names ofthat hero, and can put faith in thy words if thou canst tell me all aboutthem.’
“Arjuna said, ‘They called me Dhananjaya because I lived in the midst ofwealth, having subjugated all the countries and taking away theirtreasures. They called me Vijaya because when I go out to battle withinvincible kings, I never return (from the field) without vanquishingthem. I am called Swetavahana because when battling with the foe, whitehorses decked in golden armour are always yoked unto my car. They call meFalguna because I was born on the breast of the Himavat on a day when theconstellation Uttara Falguna was on the ascendent. I am named Kiritinfrom a diadem, resplendent like the sun, having been placed of old on myhead by Indra during my encounter with the powerful Danavas. I am knownas Vibhatsu among gods and men, for my never having committed adetestable deed on the battle-field. And since both of my hands arecapable of drawing the Gandiva, I am known as Savyasachin among gods andmen. They call me Arjuna because my complexion is very rare within thefour boundaries of the earth and because also my acts are alwaysstainless. I am known among human beings and celestials by the name ofJishnu, because I am unapproachable and incapable of being kept down, anda tamer of adversaries and son of the slayer of Paka. And Krishna, mytenth appellation, was given to me by my father out of affection towardshis black-skinned boy of great purity.’
“Vaisampayana continued, “The son of Virata then, approaching nearersaluted Partha and said, ‘My name is Bhuminjaya, and I am also calledUttara. It is by good luck, O Partha, that I behold thee. Thou artwelcome, O Dhananjaya. O thou with red eyes, and arms that are mighty andeach like unto the trunk of an elephant, it behoveth thee to pardon whatI said unto thee from ignorance. And as wonderful and difficult have beenthe feats achieved by thee before, my fears have been dispelled, andindeed the love I bear to thee is great.'”
