Shloka 253
Draupadī’s Instruction on Marital Conduct and Household Discipline (चित्तग्रहण-उपदेश)
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
etā nadyas tu dhiṣṇyānāṃ mātaro yāḥ prakīrtitāḥ | sindhunadaḥ pañcanadaḥ devikā sarasvatī gaṅgā śatakumbhā sarayū gaṇḍakī carmaṇvatī mahī medhyā medhātithiḥ tāmravatī vetravatī kauśikī tamasā narmadā godāvarī veṇā upaveṇā bhīmā vaḍavā bhāratī suprayogā kāverī murmūrā tuṅgaveṇā kṛṣṇaveṇā kapilā tathā śoṇabhadraḥ ||
Mārkaṇḍeya said: “These rivers are celebrated as the ‘mothers’ of the dhiṣṇyas—the sacred fire-altars, the sources from which the ritual fires are established and sustained: the Sindhu, the Pañcanada, the Devikā, the Sarasvatī, the Gaṅgā, the Śatakumbhā, the Sarayū, the Gaṇḍakī, the Carmaṇvatī, the Mahī, the Medhyā, the Medhātithi, the Tāmravatī, the Vetravatī, the Kauśikī, the Tamasā, the Narmadā, the Godāvarī, the Veṇā, the Upaveṇā, the Bhīmā, the Vaḍavā, the Bhāratī, the Suprayogā, the Kāverī, the Murmūrā, the Tuṅgaveṇā, the Kṛṣṇaveṇā, the Kapilā, and also the Śoṇabhadra. By naming them, the text links geography to dharma: the purity and continuity of Vedic rites depend upon honoring the life-giving waters that make sacrifice possible.”
मार्कण्डेय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The passage sacralizes rivers as ‘mothers’ of ritual fire-altars, implying that dharma and Vedic practice are sustained by honoring natural sources of purity and continuity—waterways that enable sacrifice, cleansing, and right conduct.
Mārkaṇḍeya is enumerating a traditional list of rivers, presenting them as revered sources connected with the establishment and maintenance of sacred fires (dhiṣṇyas), thereby mapping spiritual authority onto the landscape.