Shloka 32

Adhyaya 57 — The Ninefold Divisions of Bharata: Mountains, Rivers, and Peoples

Sanskrit

विश्वस्य मातरः सर्वाः सर्वपापहराः स्मृताः ।

अन्याः सहस्रशश्चोक्ताः क्षुद्रनद्यो द्विजोत्तम ॥

प्रावृट्कालवहाः सन्ति सदाकालवहाश्च याः ।

मत्स्याश्वकूटाः कुल्याश्च कुन्तलाः काशिकोशलाः ॥

Transliteration

viśvasya mātaraḥ sarvāḥ sarvapāpaharāḥ smṛtāḥ /

anyāḥ sahasraśaś coktaḥ kṣudranadyo dvijottama //

prāvṛṭkālavahāḥ santi sadākālavahāś ca yāḥ /

matsyāśvakūṭāḥ kulyāś ca kuntalāḥ kāśikośalāḥ //

Translation

Semua sungai dikenang sebagai ibu-ibu dunia, yang melenyapkan segala dosa. Wahai yang terbaik di antara kaum dwija, ribuan sungai kecil lainnya juga telah disebutkan. Sebagian mengalir pada musim hujan, dan sebagian mengalir sepanjang tahun—seperti Matsyāśvakūṭā, Kulyā, Kuntalā, dan Kāśikośalā.

Word by Word

• viśvasya: of the world
• viśvasya: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: viśva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter (नपुंसकलिङ्ग), Genitive (6th/षष्ठी), Singular (एकवचन)

• mātaraḥ: mothers
• mātaraḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mātṛ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Feminine (स्त्रीलिङ्ग), Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Plural (बहुवचन)

• sarvāḥ: all
• sarvāḥ: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sarva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Feminine, Nominative, Plural; adjective qualifying mātaraḥ

• sarva-pāpa-harāḥ: removers of all sins
• sarva-pāpa-harāḥ: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sarva (प्रातिपदिक) + pāpa (प्रातिपदिक) + hara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Feminine, Nominative, Plural; बहुव्रीह्यर्थे/विशेषणरूपेण—‘those who remove all sins’ (mātaraḥ)

• smṛtāḥ: are remembered/are called
• smṛtāḥ: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: smṛ (धातु) + kta (क्त)
• Form: Past passive participle (क्त-कृदन्त), Feminine Nominative Plural (स्त्री प्रथमा बहु) agreeing with mātaraḥ; passive sense ‘are remembered/called’

• anyāḥ: others
• anyāḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: anya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Feminine, Nominative, Plural; ‘others’ (rivers/regions implied)

• sahasraśaḥ: in thousands
• sahasraśaḥ: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: sahasraśas (अव्यय)
• Form: Adverb (क्रियाविशेषण अव्यय) meaning ‘by thousands/in thousands’

• ca: and
• ca: Samuccaya (समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: Conjunction (समुच्चयबोधक अव्यय)

• uktāḥ: are mentioned
• uktāḥ: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: vac (धातु) + kta (क्त)
• Form: Past passive participle (क्त-कृदन्त), Feminine Nominative Plural agreeing with anyāḥ; passive sense ‘are said/mentioned’

• kṣudra-nadyaḥ: small rivers
• kṣudra-nadyaḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kṣudra (प्रातिपदिक) + nadī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Feminine, Nominative, Plural; ‘small rivers’

• dvija-uttama: O best of the twice-born
• dvija-uttama: Sambodhana (सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: dvija (प्रातिपदिक) + uttama (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Vocative (8th/सम्बोधन), Singular; संबोधन to the listener

• prāvṛṭ-kāla-vahāḥ: flowing in the rainy season
• prāvṛṭ-kāla-vahāḥ: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: prāvṛṭ (प्रातिपदिक) + kāla (प्रातिपदिक) + vaha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Feminine, Nominative, Plural; qualifying (nadyaḥ) ‘carrying (water) in the rainy season’

• santi: are/exist
• santi: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: as (धातु)
• Form: Present tense (लट्), 3rd person (प्रथमपुरुष), Plural (बहुवचन)

• sadā-kāla-vahāḥ: flowing all the time (perennial)
• sadā-kāla-vahāḥ: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sadā (अव्यय) + kāla (प्रातिपदिक) + vaha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Feminine, Nominative, Plural; ‘carrying (water) at all times/perennial’

• ca: and
• ca: Samuccaya (समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: Conjunction (समुच्चयबोधक अव्यय)

• yāḥ: which (those that)
• yāḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Feminine, Nominative, Plural; relative pronoun referring to rivers

• matsyāśvakūṭāḥ: Matsyas and Aśvakūṭas
• matsyāśvakūṭāḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: matsya (प्रातिपदिक) + aśvakūṭa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural; copulative list-name (two groups/places)

• kulyāḥ: Kulyās
• kulyāḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kulyā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Feminine, Nominative, Plural; proper name/group

• ca: and
• ca: Samuccaya (समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: Conjunction (समुच्चयबोधक अव्यय)

• kuntalāḥ: Kuntalas
• kuntalāḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kuntala (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural; proper name (people/region)

• kāśikośalāḥ: Kāśis and Kośalas
• kāśikośalāḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kāśi (प्रातिपदिक) + kośala (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural; copulative list-name

Speakers

• Catalogue narration addressing a brāhmaṇa (dvijottama); exact named speaker not determinable from excerpt alone

Key Themes

• Rivers as universal mothers
• Purification
• Seasonal hydrology (monsoon/perennial)

FAQs

What is the philosophical or ethical takeaway?

The ethical thrust is reverence plus responsibility: rivers sustain the world like mothers; therefore one should avoid polluting them and approach them with purity, gratitude, and restraint.

How does this fit the Pancalakshana (5 characteristics)?

Geographical and dharma-supporting material (tīrtha/nadī praise). It is not sarga/pratisarga/manvantara/vaṁśa/vaṁśānucarita, but complements dharma by sacralizing landscape.

What is the esoteric significance?

‘Sin-removal’ can be read inwardly: waters symbolize the mind’s cleansing flow; monsoon vs perennial streams mirror intermittent vs steady spiritual practice.