Shloka 17
Adhyāya 6: Pañca-mahābhūta–guṇa-nirdeśa and Sudarśana-dvīpa
Five Elements, Sensory Qualities, and a Cosmographic Island
स पर्वतो महाराज दिव्यपुष्पफलान्वित: । भवनैरावृत: सर्वैर्जाम्बूनदपरिष्कृतै:,महाराज! वह पर्वत दिव्य पुष्पों और फलोंसे सम्पन्न है। वहाँके सभी भवन जाम्बूनद नामक सुवर्णसे विभूषित हैं। उनसे घिरे हुए उस पर्वतकी बड़ी शोभा होती है
sa parvato mahārāja divyapuṣpaphalānvitaḥ | bhavanair āvṛtaḥ sarvair jāmbūnadapariṣkṛtaiḥ ||
Sañjaya said: “O King, that mountain is endowed with celestial flowers and fruits. It is encircled on all sides by mansions adorned with Jāmbūnada gold, and thus the mountain shines with extraordinary splendor.”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the Mahābhārata’s recurring contrast between worldly conflict and the vision of higher, radiant realms. By describing a mountain rich in divine produce and gold-adorned dwellings, the narration underscores that power and beauty are transient spectacles within a larger moral universe—inviting the listener (the king) to reflect beyond immediate war-news toward discernment and restraint.
Sañjaya continues his report to King Dhṛtarāṣṭra, describing a wondrous mountain scene: it bears celestial flowers and fruits and is surrounded by palatial buildings decorated with Jāmbūnada gold. The passage functions as vivid scene-setting within his broader narration.