Shloka 9
Adhyāya 108: Paścima-dik—Varuṇa’s Realm, Sunset Cosmology, and Sacred-Geographic Markers
Suparṇa–Gālava संवाद
अत्र मन्दरकुग्जेषु विप्रर्षिसदनेषु च । गायन्ति गाथा गन्धर्वक्षित्तबुद्धिहरा द्विज,ब्रह्म! इसी दिशामें गन्धर्वगण मन्दराचलके कुंजों और ब्रह्मर्षियोंके आश्रमोंमें मन और बुद्धिको आकर्षित करनेवाली गाथाओंका गान करते हैं
atra mandarakuñjeṣu viprarṣisadaneṣu ca | gāyanti gāthā gandharvakṣittabuddhiharā dvija-brahman ||
Wahai dwija, di arah inilah—di rimbunan Mandara dan di pertapaan para brahmarṣi—para Gandharwa melantunkan balada yang memikat, nyanyian yang menawan dan merenggut hati serta budi.
युपर्ण उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how powerful aesthetic experience—here, Gandharva music—can seize the mind and even sway discernment (buddhi). In a dharmic setting like sages’ hermitages, it implicitly contrasts spiritual discipline with sensory enchantment, reminding the listener to remain inwardly steady amid captivating influences.
Yuparṇa describes a particular direction/region as marked by Mandara’s groves and the residences of brahmin seers, where Gandharvas sing mesmerizing gāthās. The passage functions as a vivid, almost travelogue-like depiction of a sacred and wondrous landscape.