Shloka 8

Varuṇābhiṣeka–Agni-anveṣaṇa–Kaubera-tīrtha

Varuṇa’s Consecration; Search for Agni; Kaubera Sacred Site

Devanagari script

मेघस्वना भोगवती सुभ्रुक्ष कनकावती । अलाताक्षी वीर्यवती विद्युज्जिल्ला च भारत

Transliteration

meghasvanā bhogavatī subhrūkṣa kanakāvatī | alātākṣī vīryavatī vidyujjillā ca bhārata ||

Translation

Vaiśampāyana sprach: „O Bhārata, es gab Frauen namens Meghasvanā, Bhogavatī, Subhrūkṣā, Kanakāvatī, Alātākṣī, Vīryavatī und Vidyujjillā.“

Word by Word

मेघस्वनाshe whose sound is like thunder-clouds

भोगवतीpossessed of enjoyment/wealth; fortunate

सुभ्रूःshe of beautiful eyebrows

कनकावतीgolden; possessing gold/ornaments

अलाताक्षीshe whose eyes are like a blazing brand

वीर्यवतीpowerful; possessed of valor/energy

विद्युज्जिल्लाlightning-tongued; having a tongue like lightning

चand

भारतO Bharata (descendant of Bharata)

Speaker

वैशम्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

Vaiśampāyana

Bhārata (Janamejaya)

Meghasvanā

Bhogavatī

Subhrūkṣā

Kanakāvatī

Alātākṣī

Vīryavatī

Vidyujjillā

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse exemplifies the Mahābhārata’s ethic of remembrance: even within a war-centered narrative, individuals are named and preserved in the record. This cataloguing highlights the epic’s concern with lineage, reputation, and the human breadth of events, reminding readers that dharma-history includes many lives beyond the principal heroes.

What is happening in the narrative?

Vaiśampāyana, narrating to King Janamejaya (addressed as ‘Bhārata’), lists a set of women by name. Such lists typically occur while describing a group connected to a particular episode (e.g., attendants, relatives, or those present in a scene), serving to situate the story within a wider social and genealogical frame.