Shloka 33

Śākadvīpa–Pramāṇa–Varṇana

Measurements and Description of Śākadvīpa

Devanagari script

तत्र तिष्ठन्ति कौरव्य चत्वारो लोकसम्मता: । दिग्गजा भरतश्रेष्ठ वामनैरावतादय:

Transliteration

tatra tiṣṭhanti kauravya catvāro lokasammatāḥ | diggajā bharataśreṣṭha vāmanairāvatādayaḥ ||

Translation

There, O scion of the Kurus, stand four elephants renowned throughout the worlds—the mighty guardians of the quarters, O best of the Bharatas—Vāmana, Airāvata, and the others. Their presence signals the ordered might and auspicious power that uphold royal authority even amid the approaching chaos of war.

Word by Word

तत्रthere

तिष्ठन्तिstand / remain

कौरव्यO Kauravya (descendant of Kuru)

चत्वारःfour

लोकसम्मताःapproved/recognized by the world

दिग्गजाःthe elephants of the quarters (directional elephants)

भरतश्रेष्ठO best of the Bharatas

वामनVāmana (name of a directional elephant)

ऐरावतAirāvata

आदयःand others (beginning with)

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

Sañjaya

Dhṛtarāṣṭra (implied by vocatives kauravya, bharataśreṣṭha)

diggajās (directional guardian elephants)

Vāmana (elephant name)

Airāvata (elephant name)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Cross References

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights how kingship and warfare are framed within a larger cosmic order: the famed ‘elephants of the directions’ symbolize stability, protection, and auspicious authority, reminding the listener that power is ideally grounded in recognized order rather than mere force.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya, describing the battlefield scene to Dhṛtarāṣṭra, points out four world-renowned ‘directional elephants’ stationed there, naming Vāmana and Airāvata among them, as part of the detailed martial and symbolic landscape surrounding the armies.