Shloka 8
गङ्गाधारणम् (Gaṅgādhāraṇa) — Śiva Bears the Descent of Gaṅgā
मयूरै: शतपत्रैश्न जीवं जीवककोकिलै: । चकोरैरसितापाज्जैस्तथा पुत्रप्रियेरपि,भाँति-भाँतिके कलरव करते हुए विचित्र अंगोंवाले पक्षी, भृंगराज, हंस, चातक, जलमुर्ग, मोर, शतपत्र नामक पक्षी, चक्रवाक, कोकिल, चकोर, असितापांग और पुत्रप्रिय आदि इस पर्वतकी शोभा बढ़ाते हैं
mayūraiḥ śatapatraiś ca jīvaṃjīvaka-kokilaiḥ | cakōrair asitāpāṅgais tathā putrapriyaiḥ api ||
Lomaśa said: “Peacocks, the śatapatra birds, the jīvaṃjīvaka and cuckoos, along with cakora birds, the dark-eyed asitāpāṅga, and the so‑called ‘son‑loving’ birds too—each calling out in many different ways—enhance the beauty of this mountain.”
लोगश उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights attentive appreciation of the natural world during pilgrimage and exile: sacred places are recognized not only by ritual markers but also by their living ecology—many voices and forms coexisting to create beauty.
Lomaśa, guiding the Pāṇḍavas through forest and tīrtha regions, describes a mountain’s splendor by listing the many birds that inhabit it and fill it with varied calls.