Shloka 25

Varṣa-Parvata-Nivāsinām Varnanam

Description of Regions, Mountains, and Their Inhabitants

Devanagari script

सदाकान्तां शिवां चैव तथा वीरमतीमपि । वस्त्रां सुवस्त्रां गौरीं च कम्पनां सहिरण्वतीम्‌,सदाकान्ता, शिवा, वीरमती, वस्त्रा, सुवस्त्रा, गौरी, कम्पना, हिरण्वती, वरा, वीरकरा, महानदी पंचमी, रथचित्रा, ज्योतिरथा, विश्वामित्रा, कपिंजला, उपेन्द्रा, बहुला, कुवीरा, अम्बुवाहिनी, विनदी, पिंजला, वेणा, महानदी तुंगवेणा, विदिशा, कृष्णवेणा, ताम्रा, कपिला, खलु, सुवामा, वेदाश्वा, हरिश्रावा, महापगा, शीघ्रा, पिच्छिला, भारद्वाजी नदी, कौशिकी नदी, शोणा, बाहुदा, चन्द्रमा, दुर्गा, चित्रशिला, ब्रह्मवेध्या, बृहद्वती, यवक्षा, रोही तथा जाम्बूनदी

Transliteration

sadākāntāṃ śivāṃ caiva tathā vīramatīm api | vastrāṃ suvastrāṃ gaurīṃ ca kampanāṃ sahiraṇvatīm |

Translation

Sañjaya said: “(There were) rivers named Sadākāntā, Śivā, and also Vīramatī; Vastrā and Suvastrā; Gaurī; and Kampanā together with Hiraṇvatī.”

Word by Word

सदाकान्ताम्the ever-lovely (river)

शिवाम्Śivā (river name)

चand

एवindeed/also

तथाlikewise

वीरमतीम्Vīramatī (river name; 'having heroic mind')

अपिalso

वस्त्राम्Vastrā (river name)

सुवस्त्राम्Suvāstrā (river name; 'well-clad')

गौरीम्Gaurī (river name)

चand

कम्पनाम्Kampanā (river name; 'trembling')

सwith

हिरण्वतीम्Hiraṇvatī (river name; 'golden/abounding in gold')

वराम्Varā (river name; 'excellent')

वीरकराम्Vīrakarā (river name; 'making heroes')

महानदीम्Mahānadī (river name; 'great river')

पञ्चमीम्Pañcamī (river name; 'the fifth')

रथचित्राम्Rathacitrā (river name; 'having splendid chariots')

ज्योतिरथाम्Jyotirathā (river name; 'having radiant chariots')

विश्वामित्राम्Viśvāmitrā (river name)

कपिञ्जलाम्Kapiñjalā (river name)

उपेन्द्राम्Upendrā (river name)

बहुलाम्Bahulā (river name; 'abundant')

कुवीराम्Kuvīrā (river name)

अम्बुवाहिनीम्Ambuvāhinī (river name; 'water-carrying')

विनदीम्Vinadī (river name; 'resounding')

पिङ्जलाम्Piṅjalā (river name; 'tawny')

वेणाम्Veṇā (river name)

महानदीम्Mahānadī (river name)

तुङ्गवेणाम्Tuṅgaveṇā (river name; 'lofty Veṇā')

विदिशाम्Vidiśā (river name)

कृष्णवेणाम्Kṛṣṇaveṇā (river name; 'dark Veṇā')

ताम्राम्Tāmrā (river name; 'coppery/red')

कपिलाम्Kapilā (river name; 'tawny')

खलुindeed/forsooth

सुवामाम्Suvāmā (river name; 'fair/beautiful')

वेदाश्वाम्Vedāśvā (river name)

हरिश्रावाम्Hariśrāvā (river name; 'having tawny sound/fame')

महापगाम्Mahāpagā (river name; 'great river/stream')

शीघ्राम्Śīghrā (river name; 'swift')

पिच्छिलाम्Picchilā (river name; 'slimy')

भारद्वाजीम्Bhāradvājī (river name)

नदीम्river

कौशिकीम्Kauśikī (river name)

नदीम्river

शोणाम्Śoṇā (river name)

बाहुदाम्Bāhudā (river name)

चन्द्रमाम्Candramā (river name; lit. 'moon')

दुर्गाम्Durgā (river name)

चित्रशिलाम्Citraśilā (river name; 'having variegated rocks')

ब्रह्मवेध्याम्Brahmavedhyā (river name)

बृहद्वतीम्Bṛhadvatī (river name; 'very great')

यवक्षाम्Yavakṣā (river name)

रोहीम्Rohī (river name)

तथाand likewise

जाम्बूनदीम्Jāmbūnadī (river name; 'Jambu-river')

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

Sañjaya

Sadākāntā (river)

Śivā (river)

Vīramatī (river)

Vastrā (river)

Suvastrā (river)

Gaurī (river)

Kampanā (river)

Hiraṇvatī (river)

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?

This verse is primarily descriptive rather than doctrinal: it situates the Kurukṣetra narrative within a wider sacred geography by naming rivers. The ethical undertone is that the war unfolds in a world sustained by dharmic landscapes—rivers that nourish life and are traditionally revered—heightening the gravity of violence occurring amid what is culturally treated as sacred.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya continues an enumeration (a catalogue) of rivers, listing several by name. Such catalogues in the Mahābhārata often function to map the world of the epic, invoke sanctity, and provide a sense of vast scale around the central events of the war.