Shloka 22

Devanagari script

सिन्धुनदं पञजचनदं देविकाथ सरस्वती । गड़ा च शतकुम्भा च सरयूर्गण्डसाह्दया,एता नद्यस्तु धिष्ण्यानां मातरो या: प्रकीर्तिता: । सिन्धुनद, पंचनद, देविका, सरस्वती, गंगा, शतकुम्भा, सरयू, गण्डकी, चर्मण्वती, मही, मेध्या, मेधातिथि, ताम्रवती, वेत्रवती, कौशिकी, तमसा, नर्मदा, गोदावरी, वेणा, उपवेणा, भीमा, वडवा, भारती, सुप्रयोगा, कावेरी, मुर्मुरा, तुंगवेणा, कृष्णवेणा, कपिला तथा शोणभद्र “-ये सब नदियाँ और नद हैं, जो अग्नियोंके उत्पत्ति-स्थान कहे गये हैं

Transliteration

Mārkaṇḍeya uvāca: Sindhunadaṃ Pañcanadaṃ Devikātha Sarasvatī | Gaṅgā ca Śatakumbhā ca Sarayūr Gaṇḍasāhdayā | Etā nadyas tu dhiṣṇyānāṃ mātaro yāḥ prakīrtitāḥ ||

Translation

Mārkaṇḍeya said: “Sindhu, Pañcanada, Devikā, and Sarasvatī; Gaṅgā and Śatakumbhā; Sarayū and Gaṇḍakī—these rivers are celebrated as the ‘mothers’ of the dhiṣṇyas (sacred hearths), the sources from which the ritual fires are said to arise.”

Word by Word

सिन्धुनदम्the Sindhu river (Sindhu-nada)

पञ्चनदम्Pañcanada (land/river-system of five rivers)

देविकाम्Devikā (river)

सरस्वतीम्Sarasvatī (river)

गङ्गाम्Gaṅgā (Ganges)

चand

शतकुम्भाम्Śatakumbhā (river)

चand

सरयूःSarayū (river)

गण्डसाह्वयाcalled ‘Gaṇḍa’ (having the name Gaṇḍa)

एताःthese

नद्यःrivers

तुindeed/but

धिष्ण्यानाम्of the sacred fire-altars / hearths (dhiṣṇya)

मातरःmothers

याःwho/which

प्रकीर्तिताःare proclaimed/are said

Speaker

मार्कण्डेय उवाच

Characters & Entities

Mārkaṇḍeya

Sindhu

Pañcanada

Devikā

Sarasvatī

Gaṅgā

Śatakumbhā

Sarayū

Gaṇḍakī

Dhiṣṇya (sacred hearths/altars)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Cross References

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse links sacred geography to Vedic ritual: certain rivers are revered as ‘mothers’ (sources) of the ritual hearths/fires, implying that purity, right worship, and dharma are supported by honoring sanctified natural and ritual foundations.

What is happening in the narrative?

Mārkaṇḍeya is enumerating holy rivers and explaining their ritual significance—specifically, that they are traditionally proclaimed as the originating ‘mothers’ of the dhiṣṇyas (sacred fire-stations) used in Vedic rites.