Shloka 28
Chapter 7: Dvīpa–Varṣa–Meru-varṇana
Description of the Dvīpa, Varṣas, and Mount Meru
नाम्ना संवर्तको नाम कालाग्निर्भरतर्षभ | तथा माल्यवत:ः शद्े पूर्वपूर्वानुगण्डिका,भरतश्रेष्ठ! वे वहाँ संवर्तक एवं कालाग्निके नामसे प्रसिद्ध हैं। माल्यवानूके शिखरपर पूर्व-पूर्वकी ओर नदी प्रवाहित होती है
nāmnā saṃvartako nāma kālāgnir bharatarṣabha | tathā mālyavataḥ śṛṅge pūrva-pūrvānugā nadī ||
Sañjaya sprach: „O Stier unter den Bharatas, dort gibt es ein loderndes Feuer, bekannt unter den Namen Saṃvartaka und Kālāgni. Und auf dem Gipfel des Berges Mālyavat fließt ein Fluss, der stets ostwärts zieht.“
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse evokes the imagery of Kāla (Time) as an irresistible force through the names Saṃvartaka and Kālāgni—symbols of cosmic dissolution. In the war context, it underscores impermanence and the overwhelming momentum of destiny, urging sobriety and ethical seriousness amid conflict.
Sanjaya continues a descriptive account, naming a fearsome fire known as Saṃvartaka/Kālāgni and noting a geographic feature: a river flowing eastward from the summit of Mount Mālyavat. The passage functions as part of a broader portrayal of portentous, vast, and awe-inspiring elements surrounding the events of the war.