Shloka 99
Kubera’s Fivefold Nīti and Protection of the Pāṇḍavas (वैश्रवणोपदेशः)
'भीमसेन! यहाँ सम तालसे गाते हुए गीतों तथा साममन्त्रोंका विविध स्वर सुनायी पड़ता है, जो सम्पूर्ण भूतोंके चित्तको आकर्षित करनेवाला है। यह परम पवित्र एवं कल्याणमयी देवनदी महागंगा हैं, इनका दर्शन करो ।। कलहंसगणैर्जुष्टामृषिकिन्नरसेविताम् । धातुभिश्न सरिद्धिश्न किन्नरैर्मुगपक्षिभि:
Vaiśampāyana uvāca: “Bhīmasena! iha sama-tālase gāteṣu gīteṣu tathā sāma-mantreṣu vividhaḥ svaraḥ śrūyate, yaḥ sarva-bhūta-citta-ākarṣaṇaḥ. eṣā paramapavitrā ca kalyāṇamayī devanadī Mahāgaṅgā; asyā darśanaṁ kuru. kala-haṁsa-gaṇair juṣṭām ṛṣi-kinnara-sevitām, dhātubhiḥ śobhitāṁ sarid-śreṣṭhāṁ kinnaraiḥ mṛga-pakṣibhiḥ …”
Vaiśampāyana said: “Bhīmasena, here one hears a variety of tones—songs sung in even rhythm and the many notes of Sāman chants—whose music draws the minds of all living beings. Behold this supremely pure and auspicious divine river, the great Gaṅgā; take her darśana. She is frequented by flocks of wild swans, attended by sages and Kinnaras, adorned with mineral hues, the best of rivers, and graced by Kinnaras along with beasts and birds.”
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse presents Gaṅgā-darśana as intrinsically purifying and welfare-bestowing, and it links sacred sound (Sāman chant, measured song) with the power to steady and attract the mind. Ethical emphasis falls on reverence for holy places and disciplined attention—approaching the sacred with receptivity rather than distraction.
Vaiśampāyana describes to Bhīma a wondrous riverscape where melodious songs and Sāman chants are heard. He identifies the river as the divine Mahāgaṅgā and urges Bhīma to behold her, depicting her as frequented by swans, sages, and Kinnaras and beautified by natural splendor.