Shloka 53

Virāṭanagara-nivāsa-nirṇaya

Decision to Reside in Virāṭa’s City

Devanagari script

दशार्णा नवराष्ट्राश्न मल्‍ला: शाल्वा युगन्धरा: । कुन्तिराष्ट्रं च विपुलं सुराष्ट्रावन्‍्तयस्तथा

Transliteration

Daśārṇā navarāṣṭrāś ca mallāḥ śālvā yugandharāḥ | Kuntirāṣṭraṃ ca vipulaṃ surāṣṭrāvantayastathā ||

Translation

Arjuna sprach: „Da sind die Daśārṇas, die Navarāṣṭras, die Mallas, die Śālvas und die Yugandharas; ebenso das weitläufige Reich Kuntirāṣṭra sowie Saurāṣṭra und Avanti.“

Word by Word

• दशार्णाः: the Dasharnas (people of Dasharna)
• दशार्णाः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: दशार्ण
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

• नवराष्ट्राः: the Navarashtras
• नवराष्ट्राः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: नवराष्ट्र
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

• मल्लाः: the Mallas
• मल्लाः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: मल्ल
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

• शाल्वाः: the Shalvas
• शाल्वाः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: शाल्व
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

• युगन्धराः: the Yugandharas
• युगन्धराः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: युगन्धर
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

• कुन्तिराष्ट्रम्: the Kunti-country (Kuntirashtra)
• कुन्तिराष्ट्रम्: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: कुन्तिराष्ट्र
• Form: Neuter, Nominative, Singular

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

• विपुलम्: vast, extensive
• Type: Adjective
• Root: विपुल
• Form: Neuter, Nominative, Singular

• सुराष्ट्राः: the Surashtras
• सुराष्ट्राः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: सुराष्ट्र
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

• अवन्तयः: the Avantis (people of Avanti)
• अवन्तयः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: अवन्ति
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

• तथा: likewise, also
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तथा

Speaker

अजुन उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Arjuna
• Daśārṇa
• Navarāṣṭra
• Malla
• Śālva
• Yugandhara
• Kuntirāṣṭra
• Saurāṣṭra
• Avanti

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse underscores the breadth of society implicated in royal conflict: many janapadas and peoples are named, suggesting that political decisions and warfare have wide-reaching consequences beyond a single household—an implicit ethical caution about the collective cost of power struggles.

What is happening in the narrative?

Arjuna is enumerating various regions/peoples—Daśārṇa, Navarāṣṭra, Malla, Śālva, Yugandhara, Kuntirāṣṭra, Saurāṣṭra, and Avanti—within a broader listing that maps the political landscape relevant to the events of the Virāṭa Parva.