Shloka 38

Varṣa-Parvata-Nivāsinām Varnanam

Description of Regions, Mountains, and Their Inhabitants

Devanagari script

इत्येता: सरितो राजन्‌ समाख्याता यथास्मृति । अत ऊर्ध्व जनपदान्‌ निबोध गदतो मम,राजन! जहाँतक मेरी स्मरणशक्ति काम दे सकी है, उसके अनुसार मैंने इन नदियोंके नाम बताये हैं। इसके बाद अब मैं भारतवर्षके जनपदोंका वर्णन करता हूँ, सुनिये

Transliteration

ity etāḥ sarito rājan samākhyātā yathāsmṛti | ata ūrdhvaṃ janapadān nibodha gadato mama, rājan ||

Translation

Sañjaya said: “O King, I have thus recounted these rivers as far as my memory allows. Now, O King, listen as I proceed to describe the regions and peoples (janapadas) beyond this.”

Word by Word

• [{'term': 'iti', 'definition': 'thus

• in this manner (concluding what was just said)'}, {'term': 'etāḥ', 'definition': 'these (feminine plural)'}, {'term': 'saritaḥ', 'definition': 'rivers'}, {'term': 'rājan', 'definition': 'O king (vocative)'}, {'term': 'samākhyātāḥ', 'definition': 'have been narrated

• have been named/recounted'}, {'term': 'yathā-smṛti', 'definition': 'according to (my) recollection

• as far as memory goes'}, {'term': 'ataḥ ūrdhvam', 'definition': 'from here onward

• thereafter'}, {'term': 'janapadān', 'definition': 'countries/regions

• peoples and their territories'}, {'term': 'nibodha', 'definition': 'understand

• take note'}, {'term': 'gadato mama', 'definition': 'as I speak

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Sañjaya
• Dhṛtarāṣṭra
• saritaḥ (rivers)
• janapadāḥ (regions/kingdoms)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse models responsible narration: Sañjaya explicitly limits his account to what he can faithfully recall (“yathāsmṛti”), signaling intellectual honesty and reliability in testimony before moving to the next topic.

What is happening in the narrative?

After listing rivers, Sañjaya tells King Dhṛtarāṣṭra that the river-names have been recounted as far as memory permits, and he transitions to the next section: describing the janapadas (regions/kingdoms) of Bhārata.