Shloka 2
Gālava’s Eastern Ascent with Garuḍa; Counsel on Kāla and Upāya (उद्योगपर्व, अध्याय ११०)
उत्तरस्य हिरण्यस्य परिवापश्ष गालव । मार्ग: पश्चिमपूर्वाभ्यां दिग्भ्यां वै मध्यम: स्मृत:,गालव! यह उत्तर दिशा उत्कृष्ट सुवर्ण आदि निधियोंकी अधिष्ठान है (इसलिये भी इसका नाम उत्तर है)। यह उत्तर मार्ग पश्चिम और पूर्व दिशाओंका मध्यवर्ती बताया गया है
yuparṇa uvāca |
uttarasya hiraṇyasya parivāpaś ca gālava |
mārgaḥ paścima-pūrvābhyāṃ digbhyāṃ vai madhyamaḥ smṛtaḥ ||
Yuparṇa said: “O Gālava, the northern region is regarded as the seat and source of excellent gold and other treasures. The ‘northern route’ is remembered as the middle path lying between the western and the eastern directions.”
युपर्ण उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse conveys a traditional mapping of space: the north is associated with prosperity and treasure, and the ‘northern route’ is defined as an intermediate course between east and west—highlighting how direction, travel, and resources were conceptually organized in epic discourse.
Yuparṇa addresses Gālava and explains the significance of the northern direction—its reputation as a repository of gold and wealth—and clarifies how the northern route is situated relative to the eastern and western quarters.