Shloka 42
Varṣa-Parvata-Nivāsinām Varnanam
Description of Regions, Mountains, and Their Inhabitants
गोधामद्रकलिड्राशक्ष काशयो5परकाशय: । जठरा: कुक्कुराश्चैव सदशार्णाश्व भारत,भारतमें ये कुरु-पांचाल, शाल्व, माद्रेय-जांगल, शूरसेन, पुलिन्द, बोध, माल, मत्स्य, कुशल्य, सौशल्य, कुन्ति, कान्ति, कोसल, चेदि, मत्स्य, करूष, भोज, सिन्धु-पुलिन्द, उत्तमाश्च, दशार्ण, मेकल, उत्कल, पंचाल, कोसल, नैकपृष्ठ, धुरंधर, गोधा, मद्रकलिंग, काशि, अपरकाशि, जठर, कुक्कुर, दशार्ण, कुन्ति, अवन्ति, अपरकुन्ति, गोमन्त, मन्दक, सण्ड, विदर्भ, रूपवाहिक, अश्मक, पाण्ड्राष्ट्र, गोपराष्ट्र, करीति, अधिराज्य, कुशाद्य तथा मल्लराष्ट्र
sañjaya uvāca |
godhā-madraka-liṅgāś ca kāśayo 'parakāśayaḥ |
jaṭharāḥ kukkurāś caiva daśārṇāś ca bhārata ||
Sañjaya said: O Bhārata (Dhṛtarāṣṭra), there were also the peoples of Godhā, Madraka, and Kaliṅga; the Kāśis and the Aparakāśis; the Jaṭharas and the Kukkurās; and the Daśārṇas as well. In this catalogue of forces, Sañjaya continues to show how widely the subcontinent’s kingdoms have been drawn into the Kurukṣetra war, underscoring the vast moral and social cost of a conflict that pulls many communities into a single field of violence.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
This verse is part of a war-catalogue rather than a direct moral injunction; its ethical force lies in showing the war’s vast reach—many peoples and regions are implicated—highlighting the collective burden and societal cost when rulers choose large-scale conflict.
Sañjaya continues reporting to Dhṛtarāṣṭra the composition of the assembled forces at Kurukṣetra, listing additional peoples/kingdoms present among the combatants.