Shloka 48

Devanagari script

वस्वोकसारा नलिनी पावनी च सरस्वती । जम्बूनदी च सीता च गज्जा सिन्धुश्च सप्तमी,उन धाराओंके नाम इस प्रकार हैं--वस्वोकसारा, नलिनी, पावनी सरस्वती, जम्बूनदी, सीता, गंगा और सिंधु

Transliteration

vasvokasārā nalinī pāvanī ca sarasvatī | jambūnadī ca sītā ca gaṅgā sindhuś ca saptamī ||

Translation

Dijo Sañjaya: «Las siete corrientes sagradas se llaman Vasvokasārā, Nalinī, Pāvanī, Sarasvatī, Jambūnadī, Sītā, Gaṅgā y, como la séptima, Sindhu.» En este contexto, el nombrar ríos venerados subraya la pureza, el buen augurio y el poder santificador de la geografía sagrada dentro del universo moral de la epopeya.

Word by Word

वस्वोकसाराVasvokasārā (name of a river/stream)

नलिनीNalinī (name of a river/stream)

पावनीPāvanī (name of a river/stream; 'purifying')

चand

सरस्वतीSarasvatī (river Sarasvati)

जम्बूनदीJambūnadī (name of a river/stream)

चand

सीताSītā (name of a river/stream)

चand

गङ्गाGaṅgā (Ganges)

सिन्धुःSindhu (Indus)

चand

सप्तमीthe seventh (one)

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

Sañjaya

Vasvokasārā (river/stream)

Nalinī (river/stream)

Pāvanī (river/stream)

Sarasvatī (river)

Jambūnadī (river/stream)

Sītā (river/stream)

Gaṅgā (river)

Sindhu (river)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights the sanctity of certain rivers/streams, implying that contact with or remembrance of sacred waters is associated with purification and auspiciousness—an ethical-cultural motif where purity supports right conduct and spiritual merit.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya is listing the names of seven revered streams. The passage functions as a catalog of sacred geography, situating the narrative within a world where rivers are not merely physical features but carriers of holiness and moral symbolism.