Shloka 15

Devanagari script

केतुमाला च मेध्या च गड्जाद्वारं च भूमिप । ख्यातं च सैन्धवारण्यं पुण्यं द्विजनिषेवितम्‌

Transliteration

Ketumālā ca medhyā ca gaḍjādvāraṃ ca bhūmipa | khyātaṃ ca saindhavāraṇyaṃ puṇyaṃ dvijaniṣevitam ||

Translation

Dhaumya said: “O king, there are Ketumālā and Medhyā, and also the place called Gaḍjādvāra; and the renowned Saindhava forest—holy and frequented by Brahmins, the twice-born.”

Word by Word

• केतुमाला: Ketumālā (name of a place/region)
• केतुमाला: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: केतुमाला
• Form: Feminine, Nominative, Singular

• च: and
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च

• मेध्या: holy; fit for sacrifice
• मेध्या: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: मेध्य
• Form: Feminine, Nominative, Singular

• च: and
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च

• गजद्वारम्: Gajadvāra (Elephant-gate; name of a place)
• गजद्वारम्: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: गजद्वार
• Form: Neuter, Nominative, Singular

• च: and
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च

• भूमिप: O king (lord of the earth)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भूमिप
• Form: Masculine, Vocative, Singular

• ख्यातम्: renowned; well-known
• Type: Adjective
• Root: ख्यात
• Form: Neuter, Nominative, Singular

• च: and
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च

• सैन्धवारण्यं: Saindhava-forest (forest of the Sindhu region)
• सैन्धवारण्यं: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: सैन्धवारण्य
• Form: Neuter, Nominative, Singular

• पुण्यम्: sacred; meritorious
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पुण्य
• Form: Neuter, Nominative, Singular

• द्विजनिषेवितम्: frequented/inhabited by Brahmins (twice-born)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: द्विजनिषेवित
• Form: Neuter, Nominative, Singular

Speaker

धौम्य उवाच

Characters & Entities

• धौम्य (Dhaumya)
• भूप (the king, addressed as Bhūmipa)
• केतुमाला (Ketumālā)
• मेध्या (Medhyā)
• गड्जाद्वार (Gaḍjādvāra)
• सैन्धवारण्य (Saindhavāraṇya)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse underscores the dharmic value of sacred places: holiness is linked to puṇya and to the sustained presence of learned, disciplined dvijas, suggesting that ethical and ritual culture sanctifies geography.

What is happening in the narrative?

Dhaumya addresses the king and enumerates notable, reputedly holy locations—Ketumālā, Medhyā, Gaḍjādvāra, and the Saindhava forest—characterizing them as sacred and associated with Brahmin visitation, as part of a broader description of meritorious places.