Shloka 7
Bhārata-varṣa-varṇana
Description of Bhārata: Mountains, Rivers, and Janapadas
न प्रमाणस्थितिह॑स्ति तिष्येडस्मिन् भरतर्षभ । गर्भस्थाक्ष प्रियन्ते5त्र तथा जाता प्रियन्ति च
sañjaya uvāca | na pramāṇa-sthitir asti tiṣye 'smin bharatarṣabha | garbha-sthāḥ kṣīyante 'tra tathā jātāḥ kṣīyanti ca ||
Sañjaya said: “O bull among the Bharatas, in this Tiṣya age there is no fixed measure or certainty of lifespan. Here, even those still in the womb perish, and so too do those newly born meet with death.”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores the instability of human life in a degenerate age: lifespan is not reliably measured, and death can come even before birth or immediately after. Ethically, it urges sobriety, compassion, and urgency in pursuing dharma amid uncertainty.
Sañjaya addresses Dhṛtarāṣṭra and describes the harsh conditions of the Tiṣya age, emphasizing that mortality is unpredictable—unborn and newborn children alike may perish—setting a somber moral backdrop to the unfolding events.