Shloka 176
Bhīṣma Parva, Adhyāya 4 — Dhṛtarāṣṭra–Vyāsa Saṃvāda on Kāla and Jayalakṣaṇa
Signs of Victory
ऋक्षाश्न वानराश्नैव सप्तारण्या: स्मृता नृप । नरेश्वर! उपर्युक्त चौदह प्रकारके जरायुज प्राणियोंमें वनवासी पशु सात हैं और ग्रामवासी भी सात ही हैं। सिंह, व्याप्र, वराह, महिष, गज, रीछ और वानर--ये सात वनवासी पशु माने गये हैं
ṛkṣāśn vānaraśn caiva saptāraṇyāḥ smṛtā nṛpa | nareśvara uparyukte caturdaśa-prakārake jarāyuje prāṇiṣu vanavāsinaḥ paśavaḥ sapta ca grāmavāsinaḥ saptaiva | siṃhaḥ vyāghraḥ varāhaḥ mahiṣaḥ gajaḥ ṛkṣaḥ vānaraś caite sapta vanavāsinaḥ paśavaḥ smṛtāḥ |
Sanjaya said: O King, among the fourteen kinds of viviparous creatures mentioned above, seven are regarded as forest-dwelling and seven as village-dwelling. The lion, tiger, boar, buffalo, elephant, bear, and monkey—these seven are remembered as animals that live in the forest. The passage functions as a classificatory note, grounding the discourse in observed order and taxonomy rather than moral exhortation, yet it implicitly reflects the Mahābhārata’s concern for naming and distinguishing beings according to their natural domains.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse primarily offers a traditional classification: among viviparous beings, certain animals are identified as forest-dwellers. Its broader lesson is the Mahābhārata’s tendency to systematize knowledge—naming and distinguishing beings according to habitat and nature—supporting clarity in discourse.
Sañjaya, speaking to the king (Dhṛtarāṣṭra), continues an enumerative explanation and specifies which seven animals are considered forest-dwelling: lion, tiger, boar, buffalo, elephant, bear, and monkey.