Shloka 2

सत्य–अनृत, प्रकाश–तमस्, स्वर्ग–नरक विवेचनम्

Truth and Untruth as Light and Darkness; Svarga and Naraka as Ethical Consequences

Devanagari script

ससागर: सगगन: सशैल: सबलाहकः । सभूमि: साग्निपवनो लोको<यं केन निर्मित:,समुद्र, आकाश, पर्वत, मेघ, भूमि, अग्नि और वायुसहित इस संसारका किसने निर्माण किया है?

Transliteration

sa-sāgaraḥ sa-gaganaḥ sa-śailaḥ sa-balāhakaḥ | sa-bhūmiḥ sāgni-pavano loko 'yaṁ kena nirmitaḥ ||

Translation

સમુદ્ર, આકાશ, પર્વતો, મેઘો, ભૂમિ તથા અગ્નિ અને વાયુ સહિત આ લોક કોના દ્વારા રચાયો છે?

Word by Word

ससागरःhaving the ocean

सगगनःhaving the sky

सशैलःhaving mountains

सबलाहकःhaving clouds

सभूमिःhaving the earth

साग्निपवनःhaving fire and wind

लोकःworld

अयम्this

केनby whom? / with what agency?

निर्मितःmade/created

Speaker

युधिछिर उवाच

Characters & Entities

Yudhiṣṭhira

sāgara (ocean)

gagana (sky)

śaila (mountains)

balāhaka (clouds)

bhūmi (earth)

agni (fire)

pavana (wind)

loka (world)

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 models dharmic inquiry: a ruler-disciple (Yudhiṣṭhira) seeks the ultimate cause behind the visible elements of the cosmos, opening a philosophical discussion on the creator/first principle and the order sustaining the world.

What is happening in the narrative?

In Śānti Parva’s instruction setting, Yudhiṣṭhira asks a foundational cosmological question—who fashioned the world along with its major constituents (sea, sky, mountains, clouds, earth, fire, wind)—prompting the ensuing teaching on origins and cosmic governance.