Shloka 15
हिरण्यपुरवर्णनम्
Description of Hiraṇyapura and the Nivātakavacas
ऐरावणो नागराजो वामन: कुमुदो55जन: । प्रसूता: सुप्रतीकस्य वंशे वारणसत्तमा:
airāvaṇo nāgarājo vāmanaḥ kumudo janaḥ | prasūtāḥ supratīkasya vaṃśe vāraṇasattamāḥ ||
Nārada dit : «Airāvaṇa, seigneur des nāga ; Vāmana ; Kumuda ; et Jana—ces éléphants, les plus éminents, naquirent dans la lignée de Supratīka.»
नारद उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores the epic’s emphasis on lineage and provenance: greatness (here, ‘foremost elephants’) is situated within a recognized line (vaṃśa), reflecting the Mahābhārata’s broader habit of grounding status and authority in genealogy and inherited tradition.
Nārada is listing notable beings and their origins. In this segment he names several eminent elephants and states that they were born in the lineage of Supratīka, as part of a larger catalog of lineages and distinguished figures.