Shloka 25

Devanagari script

हिरण्वती वितस्ता च तथा प्लक्षवती नदी । वेदस्मृतिरवेंदवती मालवाथाश्ववत्यपि

Transliteration

hiraṇvatī vitastā ca tathā plakṣavatī nadī | vedasmṛtir avendavatī mālavāthāśvavaty api ||

Translation

Bhīṣma sprach: „(Zu den heiligen Flüssen, die anzurufen sind, gehören) Hiraṇvatī, Vitastā und ebenso der Fluss Plakṣavatī; ferner Vedasṃṛti, Avendavatī, Mālavā und Aśvavatī.“

Word by Word

• हिरण्वती: Hiraṇvatī (a river)
• हिरण्वती: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: हिरण्वती
• Form: Feminine, Nominative, Singular

• वितस्ता: Vitastā (a river)
• वितस्ता: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: वितस्ता
• Form: Feminine, Nominative, Singular

• च: and
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च

• तथा: likewise
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तथा

• प्लक्षवती: Plakṣavatī (a river)
• प्लक्षवती: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्लक्षवती
• Form: Feminine, Nominative, Singular

• नदी: river
• नदी: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: नदी
• Form: Feminine, Nominative, Singular

• वेदस्मृतिः: Veda-smṛti (name/title; 'Veda and Smṛti')
• वेदस्मृतिः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: वेदस्मृति
• Form: Feminine, Nominative, Singular

• अरवेंदवती: Aravindavatī (a river/holy place name)
• अरवेंदवती: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: अरविंदवती
• Form: Feminine, Nominative, Singular

• मालवा: Mālava (region/people name)
• मालवा: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: मालवा
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• अथ: then/also
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अथ

• अश्ववती: Aśvavatī (a river)
• अश्ववती: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: अश्ववती
• Form: Feminine, Nominative, Singular

• अपि: also
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अपि

Speaker

भीष्म उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Bhishma (Bhīṣma)
• Hiraṇvatī (river)
• Vitastā (river)
• Plakṣavatī (river)
• Vedasṃṛti / Veda-smṛti (river/tīrtha name)
• Avendavatī (river)
• Mālavā (river/tīrtha name)
• Aśvavatī (river)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse participates in a dharmic practice of smaraṇa (reverent remembrance): naming sacred rivers and tīrthas is treated as spiritually protective and purifying, reinforcing ethical life by aligning the mind with sanctity, restraint, and auspicious conduct.

What is happening in the narrative?

Bhishma is reciting a long protective and sanctifying catalogue—invoking holy beings and places. This particular line continues the enumeration by naming specific rivers regarded as tīrthas, whose remembrance is believed to confer merit and ward off harm.