Shloka 22

वारुणी सभा — Varuṇa’s Divine Assembly

Nārada’s Description

Devanagari script

सरयूर्वारवत्याथ लाड़्ली च सरिद्वरा । करतोया तथात्रेयी लौहित्यशक्ष महानद:,सरयू, वारखत्या, सरिताओंमें श्रेष्ठ लांगली, करतोया, आत्रेयी, महानद लौहित्य,

Transliteration

sarayūr vāravaty atha lāṅgalī ca saridvarā | karatoyā tathātr̥yī lauhityaś ca mahānadaḥ ||

Translation

قال ناردَةُ: «وهناك أيضًا هذه الأنهار: سَرَيو (Sarayu)، وفَرَفَتِي (Varavatī)، والنهرُ الفاضلُ لَنْغَلِي (Laṅgalī)؛ وكذلك كَرَتُويَا (Karatoyā) وآتْرَيْي (Ātreyī)؛ والنهرُ العظيمُ لَوْهِتْيَة (Lauhitya).»

Word by Word

सरयूःSarayu (river)

वारवत्याथVaravati (river)

लाङ्गलीLangali (river)

चand

सरिद्वराthe best of rivers (a river-name / epithet)

करतोयाKaratoya (river)

तथाlikewise

आत्रेयीAtreyi (river)

लौहित्यःLauhitya (Brahmaputra) (river)

चand

महानदःMahanada (river) / the great river

Speaker

नारद उवाच

Characters & Entities

Narada

Sarayu River

Varavati River

Langali River

Karatoya River

Atrayi River

Lauhitya River (Brahmaputra)

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?

The verse teaches reverence for the ordered world through remembrance of renowned rivers; such sacred geography functions as a cultural-ethical framework that supports dharma by linking places, peoples, and traditions within a coherent cosmic order.

What is happening in the narrative?

Narada is enumerating notable rivers as part of a broader descriptive catalogue, highlighting important waterways and regions known to the epic’s audience.