Shloka 49
Varṣa-Parvata-Nivāsinām Varnanam
Description of Regions, Mountains, and Their Inhabitants
कुन्दापरान्ता माहेया: कक्षा: सामुद्रनिष्कुटा: । अन्ध्राश्ष॒ बहवो राजन्नन्तर्गियास्तथैव च
kundāparāntā māheyāḥ kakṣāḥ sāmudraniṣkuṭāḥ | andhrāś ca bahavo rājann antargiryās tathaiva ca ||
संजय बोले—हे राजन्, कुन्द तक फैले प्रदेश वाले माहेय, समुद्र-तटीय निवास करने वाले कक्षा, और बहुत से अन्ध्र भी थे; तथा पर्वत-श्रेणियों के भीतर रहने वाले लोग भी वैसे ही थे।
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores the vast, pan-regional scope of the conflict by listing diverse peoples and habitats (coastal, interior, mountainous). Ethically, it frames the war as a civilizational crisis drawing in many communities, heightening the responsibility of rulers to weigh the consequences of adharma-driven strife.
Sañjaya continues his report to King Dhṛtarāṣṭra by enumerating various groups present/associated with the forces—Māheyas, Kakṣas of coastal regions, many Andhras, and mountain-dwelling peoples—typical of the army-catalogue style in Bhīṣma Parva.