वृष्णीनां वासुदेवोऽस्मि पाण्डवानां धनंजयः ।मुनीनामप्यहं व्यासः कवीनामुशना कविः ॥
vṛṣṇīnāṃ vāsudevo 'smi pāṇḍavānāṃ dhanaṃjayaḥ | munīnām apy ahaṃ vyāsaḥ kavīnām uśanā kaviḥ ||
- वृष्णीनाम् · vṛṣṇīnām
- among the Vrishnis
- वासुदेवः · vāsudevaḥ
- Vasudeva, Krishna
- पाण्डवानाम् · pāṇḍavānām
- among the Pandavas
- धनंजयः · dhanaṃjayaḥ
- Dhananjaya, Arjuna
- मुनीनाम् · munīnām
- among sages
- व्यासः · vyāsaḥ
- Vyasa
- कवीनाम् · kavīnām
- among seer-poets
- उशना · uśanā
- Ushanas
“Among Vrishnis I am Vasudeva; among Pandavas, Dhananjaya. Among sages I am Vyasa, and among seer-poets Ushanas.”
— Original plain-language translation
The list turns suddenly intimate: Krishna names himself among his own clan, and Arjuna among the Pandavas. The hearer discovers he is himself a glory. Sage and poet complete the human summit.
— Reader's notes (original)