Shloka 5

Brahmopadeśa: Adhipatitva-kathana, Dharma-lakṣaṇa, and Kṣetra–Kṣetrajña Viveka

Book 14, Chapter 43

Devanagari script

श्वैतो नीलक्ष भासश्न कोष्ठवांश्रैव पर्वत: । गुरुस्कन्धो महेन्द्रश्न माल्यवान्‌ पर्वतस्तथा,हिमवान्‌, पारियात्र, सहा, विन्ध्य, त्रिकूट, श्वेत, नील, भास, कोष्ठवान्‌ पर्वत, गुरुस्कन्ध, महेन्द्र और माल्यवान्‌ पर्वत--ये सब पर्वत पर्वतोंके अधिपति हैं। गणोंके मरुद्गण, ग्रहोंके सूर्य और नक्षत्रोंके चन्द्रमा अधिपति हैं

Transliteration

śvaito nīlakṣa-bhāsaś ca koṣṭhavāṁś caiva parvataḥ | guru-skandho mahendraś ca mālyavān parvatas tathā | himavān pāriyātraḥ sahyaḥ vindhyaḥ trikūṭaḥ śvetaḥ nīlaḥ bhāsaḥ koṣṭhavān parvataḥ guru-skandhaḥ mahendraḥ mālyavān parvataḥ—ete sarve parvatānām adhipatayaḥ | gaṇānāṁ marud-gaṇāḥ grahāṇāṁ sūryaḥ nakṣatrāṇāṁ candramā adhipatiḥ ||

Translation

Dewa Vāyu bersabda: “Śvaita, Nīla, Bhāsa, dan Koṣṭhavān; demikian pula Guru-skandha, Mahendra, dan gunung Mālyavān; juga Himavān, Pāriyātra, Sahya, Vindhya, Trikūṭa— merekalah para penguasa di antara gunung-gunung. Di antara para gaṇa, Marut adalah pemimpin; di antara planet-planet, Surya adalah penguasa; dan di antara rasi/nakṣatra, Candra adalah penguasa.”

Word by Word

• {'śvaitaḥ/śvetaḥ': 'name/epithet of a mountain

• ‘white’', 'nīlaḥ': 'name of a mountain

• ‘blue/dark’', 'bhāsaḥ': 'name of a mountain

• also ‘splendour/light’ as a common noun', 'koṣṭhavān': 'name of a mountain

• lit. ‘possessing storehouses/strongholds’ (as a toponymic epithet)', 'parvataḥ': 'mountain', 'guru-skandhaḥ': 'name of a mountain

• lit. ‘having a heavy/lofty shoulder (ridge)’', 'mahendraḥ': 'name of a mountain

• also ‘great Indra’ as a common epithet', 'mālyavān': 'name of a mountain

• ‘garlanded/abounding in garlands’', 'himavān': 'the Himālaya

• ‘snowy one’', 'pāriyātraḥ': 'Pāriyātra mountain range', 'sahyaḥ': 'Sahya (Western Ghats) range', 'vindhyaḥ': 'Vindhya range', 'trikūṭaḥ': 'Trikūṭa mountain

• ‘three-peaked’', 'adhipati': 'overlord, chief, presiding lord', 'gaṇa': 'group, host

• also a class of divine attendants', 'marud-gaṇa': 'the Maruts, storm-gods as a collective', 'graha': 'planet/seizer

• celestial body influencing fate in Indian astronomy', 'sūryaḥ': 'the Sun', 'nakṣatra': 'lunar mansion/asterism', 'candramā': 'the Moon'}

Speaker

वायुदेव उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Vāyu (Vāyu-deva)
• Śvaita (mountain)
• Śveta (mountain)
• Nīla (mountain)
• Bhāsa (mountain)
• Koṣṭhavān (mountain)
• Guru-skandha (mountain)
• Mahendra (mountain)
• Mālyavān (mountain)
• Himavān/Himālaya (mountain range)
• Pāriyātra (mountain range)
• Sahya (mountain range)
• Vindhya (mountain range)
• Trikūṭa (mountain)
• Maruts (Marud-gaṇas)
• Sūrya (Sun)
• Candramā (Moon)
• Nakṣatras (lunar mansions)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse presents a dharmic vision of the universe as structured by rightful precedence: certain mountains, deities, and luminaries are ‘chiefs’ within their domains. The implied teaching is that leadership is natural and functional—each sphere has an appropriate presiding power—encouraging humans to value order, responsibility, and proper roles rather than disorderly rivalry.

What is happening in the narrative?

Vāyu-deva is enumerating eminent mountains and then extending the pattern to other cosmic collectives: the Maruts among divine hosts, the Sun among planets, and the Moon among lunar mansions. It functions as a catalog of sacred geography and celestial hierarchy within the Ashvamedhika Parva’s broader discourse.