Shloka 36
Varṣa-Parvata-Nivāsinām Varnanam
Description of Regions, Mountains, and Their Inhabitants
कुमारीमृषिकुल्यां च मारिषां च सरस्वतीम् । मन्दाकिनीं सुपुण्यां च सर्वा गड़ां च भारत
kumārīm ṛṣikulyāṃ ca māriṣāṃ ca sarasvatīm | mandākinīṃ supuṇyāṃ ca sarvā gaḍāṃ ca bhārata
संजय बोले—हे भारत! (उसने) कुमारी, ऋषिकुल्या, मारिषा, सरस्वती, परम पवित्र मन्दाकिनी, तथा सर्वा और गंगा (आदि नदियों) का भी उल्लेख किया।
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse emphasizes reverence for sacred rivers as embodiments of purity and merit (puṇya). Remembering or invoking such tīrthas is presented in the epic tradition as a dharmic act that supports ethical life through purification, restraint, and devotion.
Sañjaya continues a catalog-like narration, listing revered rivers—Kumārī, Ṛṣikulyā, Māriṣā, Sarasvatī, Mandākinī, and others—addressing Dhṛtarāṣṭra (‘Bhārata’). The passage functions as a sacred-geographical enumeration within the broader Bhīṣma Parva context.