Shloka 34

Devanagari script

मरीचिरड्रिराश्षात्रि: पुलस्त्य: पुलहः क्रतु: । वसिष्ठश्न महात्मा वै मनु: स्वायम्भुवस्तथा,“मरीचि, अंगिरा, अत्रि, पुलस्त्य, पुलह, क्रतु, महात्मा वसिष्ठ और स्वायम्भुव मनु

Transliteration

Vaiśampāyana uvāca: Marīcir Aṅgirā Atrīḥ Pulastyaḥ Pulahaḥ Kratuḥ | Vasiṣṭhaś ca mahātmā vai Manuḥ Svāyambhuvas tathā ||

Translation

Vaiśampāyana sprach: Marīci, Aṅgiras, Atri, Pulastya, Pulaha, Kratu, der großherzige Vasiṣṭha, und ebenso Svāyambhuva Manu — dies sind die verehrten uranfänglichen Weisen.

Word by Word

मरीचिःMarichi (a sage)

अङ्गिराःAngiras (a sage)

अत्रिःAtri (a sage)

पुलस्त्यःPulastya (a sage)

पुलहःPulaha (a sage)

क्रतुःKratu (a sage)

वसिष्ठःVasiṣṭha (a sage)

महात्माgreat-souled

वैindeed

मनुःManu

स्वायम्भुवःSvāyambhuva (son of the Self-born; epithet of Manu)

तथाand also/likewise

Speaker

वैशम्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

Vaiśampāyana

Marīci

Aṅgiras

Atri

Pulastya

Pulaha

Kratu

Vasiṣṭha

Svāyambhuva Manu

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?

By invoking and listing primordial sages and Svāyambhuva Manu, the text grounds the forthcoming or surrounding instruction in the highest traditional authority—suggesting that dharma is to be understood through the testimony of ancient seers and foundational lawgivers rather than mere personal opinion.

What is happening in the narrative?

Vaiśampāyana is reciting a list of revered early ṛṣis—Marīci through Vasiṣṭha—and Svāyambhuva Manu. This functions as an authoritative roll-call, typically used to frame a teaching, lineage, or precedent relevant to the Shānti Parva’s discussions on righteous conduct and social-moral order.