Mahabharata 9.55.7 — Shalya Parva, Adhyaya 55, Shloka 7

Vāg-yuddha and Nimitta-darśana before the Gadāyuddha

Verbal Duel and Omens

Devanagari script

कुरुक्षेत्रं परं पुण्यं पावन स्वर्ग्यमेव च । दैवतैर्ऋषिभिर्जुषं ब्राह्मणैश्व महात्मभि:

Transliteration

kurukṣetraṁ paraṁ puṇyaṁ pāvanaṁ svargyam eva ca | daivatair ṛṣibhir juṣaṁ brāhmaṇaiś ca mahātmabhiḥ ||

Translation

“कुरुक्षेत्र परम पुण्य, पावन और स्वर्गप्रद है; देवता, ऋषि और महात्मा ब्राह्मण सदा उसका सेवन करते हैं।”

Word by Word

• {'kurukṣetram': 'Kurukṣetra

• the sacred field/region that is also the battlefield of the Bhārata war', 'param': 'supreme, highest', 'puṇyam': 'meritorious, holy, auspicious

• a source of religious merit', 'pāvanam': 'purifying

• that which cleanses sin/impurity', 'svargyam': 'heaven-leading

• conducive to attaining Svarga', 'eva ca': 'indeed, and also', 'daivataiḥ': 'by the gods (deities)', 'ṛṣibhiḥ': 'by seers/sages', 'juṣam': 'enjoyed, resorted to, inhabited/frequented (from √juṣ, ‘to delight in, to frequent’)', 'brāhmaṇaiḥ': 'by brāhmaṇas', 'ca': 'and', 'mahātmabhiḥ': 'by great-souled/noble persons'}

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Sañjaya
• Kurukṣetra
• Daivata (gods)
• Ṛṣi (sages)
• Brāhmaṇa

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse frames Kurukṣetra not merely as a battlefield but as a tīrtha: a place that purifies and generates religious merit. By stating that gods, sages, and great brāhmaṇas continually resort to it, the text underscores the ethical idea that sacred space supports dharmic aspiration and spiritual uplift (even amid the harsh context of war).

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya describes Kurukṣetra’s sanctity, citing what he has heard from sages who narrate its greatness. This functions as a contextual elevation of the setting—reminding the listener that the events unfolding in the war occur on ground traditionally revered and frequented by divine and ascetic beings.