Shloka 11
Varṣa-Parvata-Nivāsinām Varnanam
Description of Regions, Mountains, and Their Inhabitants
महेन्द्री मलय: सहा: शुक्तिमानृक्षवानपि । विन्ध्यश्न पारियात्रश्न सप्तैते कुलपर्वता:,इस भारतवर्षमें महेन्द्र, मलय, सहा, शुक्तिमान, ऋक्षवान, विन्ध्य और पारियात्र--ये सात कुलपर्वत कहे गये हैं
mahendrī malayaḥ sahyaḥ śuktimān ṛkṣavān api | vindhyaś ca pāriyātraś ca saptaite kulaparvatāḥ ||
Sañjaya said: “In this land of Bhārata, these seven are known as the ‘kulaparvatas’—the ancestral mountain ranges: Mahendra, Malaya, Sahya, Śuktimān, Ṛkṣavān, Vindhya, and Pāriyātra.”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores the idea of dhārmic order through sacred geography: the land of Bhārata is not merely political territory but a culturally sanctified space with enduring natural ‘pillars’ (kulaparvatas). This framing encourages the listener to view human actions—especially war and governance—against a larger, stabilizing cosmic and cultural backdrop.
Sañjaya is describing features of Bhārata-varṣa by listing the seven kulaparvatas (principal mountain ranges). This occurs as part of a broader geographical and contextual description that situates the Kurukṣetra conflict within the wider world of the epic.