Shloka 1

Devanagari script

# द्वादशोड् ध्याय: कुश, क्रौंच और पुष्कर आदि द्वीपोंका तथा राहु, सूर्य एवं चन्द्रमाके प्रमाणका वर्णन संजय उवाच उत्तरेषु च कौरव्य द्वीपेषु श्रूयते कथा । एवं तत्र महाराज ब्रुवतश्न निबोध मे,संजय बोले--महाराज! कुरुनन्दन! इसके बाददवाले द्वीपोंके विषयमें जो बातें सुनी जाती हैं, वे इस प्रकार हैं; उन्हें आप मुझसे सुनिये

Transliteration

sañjaya uvāca | uttareṣu ca kauravya dvīpeṣu śrūyate kathā | evaṃ tatra mahārāja bruvataḥ śṛṇu nibodha me ||

Translation

Sañjaya said: “O scion of the Kurus, O king, there is a traditional account heard regarding the northern islands. Now, as I relate it, listen attentively and understand from me.”

Word by Word

संजयःSanjaya

उवाचsaid

उत्तरेषुin the northern

चand

कौरव्यO descendant of Kuru

द्वीपेषुin the islands/continents

श्रूयतेis heard / is said to be

कथाa story/account

एवम्thus / in this manner

तत्रthere / in that context

महाराजO great king

ब्रुवतःof (me) speaking / while (I) speak

शृणुhear

निबोधunderstand / take note

मेof me / from me

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

Sañjaya

Dhṛtarāṣṭra (implied by vocatives kauravya, mahārāja)

Northern dvīpas (islands/continents)

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse foregrounds śravaṇa (attentive listening) and nibodha (clear understanding) as prerequisites for receiving traditional knowledge, framing cosmographic description as a disciplined transmission from narrator to king.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya transitions to a new topic—accounts about the northern dvīpas—and invites Dhṛtarāṣṭra to listen as he begins describing what is traditionally heard about those regions.