Mahabharata — Udyoga Parva, Shloka 14
Uttarā-diśā Māhātmya — Suparṇa’s Praise of the Northern Quarter
Suparṇa–Gālava Saṃvāda
अत्र वायुस्तथा वह्लिराप: खं चापि गालव । अलह्रिकं चैव नैशं च दु:खं स्पर्श विमुड्चति
atra vāyus tathā vahnir āpaḥ khaṃ cāpi gālava | alahrikaṃ caiva naiśaṃ ca duḥkhaṃ sparśaṃ vimuñcati ||
युपर्ण बोले—हे गालव! यहाँ वायु, अग्नि, जल और आकाश—ये सब रात्रि और दिन से उत्पन्न दुःखद स्पर्श का परित्याग कर देते हैं। इस प्रदेश में इनका संस्पर्श स्वभावतः सुखद और शीतल-शान्तिदायक होता है।
युपर्ण उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights a place or state where the elemental forces (wind, fire, water, space) are free from the harsh, suffering-producing ‘touch’ associated with day and night—suggesting an environment aligned with harmony and relief from distress, a motif often used to indicate auspiciousness, purity, or a spiritually favorable realm.
Yuparṇa addresses Gālava and describes the qualities of the locale they are discussing: even the basic elements behave gently there, abandoning the painful sensations that ordinarily arise through the alternations of night and day.