Shloka 25

Yuga-Lakṣaṇa and Varṣa-Pramāṇa Inquiry (युगलक्षण–वर्षप्रमाण–प्रश्न)

Devanagari script

महामेरुर्महाकाशो जलद: कुमुदोत्तर: । जलधारो महाराज सुकुमार इति स्मृत:

Transliteration

mahāmerur mahākāśo jaladaḥ kumudottaraḥ | jaladhāro mahārāja sukumāra iti smṛtaḥ ||

Translation

Wahai Maharaja, wilayah-wilayah itu dikenal dengan nama Mahāmeru, Mahākāśa, Jalada, Kumudottara, Jaladhāra, dan Sukumāra.

Word by Word

• महामेरुः: the (region called) Mahāmeru
• महामेरुः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: महामेरु
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• महाकाशः: the (region called) Mahākāśa
• महाकाशः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: महाकाश
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• जलदः: Jalada (name of a mountain/region)
• जलदः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: जलद
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• कुमुदोत्तरः: Kumudottara (name of a region; 'north of Kumuda')
• कुमुदोत्तरः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: कुमुदोत्तर
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• जलधारः: Jaladhāra (name of a mountain/region; 'water-holder')
• जलधारः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: जलधार
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• महाराज: O great king
• Type: Noun
• Root: महाराज
• Form: Masculine, Vocative, Singular

• सुकुमारः: Sukumāra (name of a region; 'very delicate/pleasant')
• सुकुमारः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: सुकुमार
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• इति: thus
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: इति

• स्मृतः: is remembered/called
• Type: Verb
• Root: स्मृ
• Form: Passive (past participle), Masculine, Nominative, Singular

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Sañjaya
• Dhṛtarāṣṭra
• Mahāmeru
• Mahākāśa
• Jalada
• Kumudottara
• Jaladhāra
• Sukumāra

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse underscores the immensity and ordered structure of the cosmos by listing traditionally known regions. In context, it supports the ethical frame of the epic: dharma is not a private preference but a principle tied to the maintenance of cosmic and social order.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya is reporting to King Dhṛtarāṣṭra and enumerates named regions as part of a broader descriptive passage. The narration expands beyond the immediate war setting to a panoramic, cosmographic register, emphasizing the scale of what is being revealed and contemplated.