Shloka 236
Śākadvīpa–Pramāṇa–Varṇana
Measurements and Description of Śākadvīpa
एते देशा महाराज देवगन्धर्वसेविता: । मुनिदेशके बाद जो देश है, उसे दुन्दुभिस्वन कहते हैं। वह सिद्धों और चारणोंसे भरा हुआ है। जनेश्वर! वहाँके लोग प्राय: गोरे होते हैं। महाराज! इन सभी देशोंमें देवता और गन्धर्व निवास करते हैं
ete deśā mahārāja devagandharvasevitāḥ |
Sañjaya said: “O great king, these regions are frequented and inhabited by divine beings and Gandharvas.” In the wider description, the narration highlights distant lands associated with sacred or semi-divine presence—suggesting that the world beyond the battlefield is vast, morally textured, and populated by beings whose lives are oriented toward higher disciplines and refined culture, contrasting with the impending human conflict.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores that the world contains regions associated with divine and refined beings; this enlarges the listener’s moral horizon beyond immediate political rivalry, reminding a king that human action (especially war) occurs within a broader sacred order.
Sañjaya is describing various lands to King Dhṛtarāṣṭra, noting that certain regions are inhabited or frequented by Devas and Gandharvas, as part of a larger geographical and cultural-cosmological survey within Bhīṣma Parva.