Shloka 45
Varṣa-Parvata-Nivāsinām Varnanam
Description of Regions, Mountains, and Their Inhabitants
वारवास्यायवाहाश्च चक्राश्चक्रातय: शका: । विदेहा मगधा: स्वक्षा मलजा विजयास्तथा
vārvāsyāyavāhāś ca cakrāś cakrātayaḥ śakāḥ | videhā magadhāḥ svakṣā malajā vijayās tathā ||
Sañjaya said: “There were also the Vārvāsyas, the Ayavāhas, the Cakras and Cakrātayas, the Śakas; likewise the Videhas and Magadhas, the Svakṣas, the Malajas, and the Vijayās.” In this catalogue of forces, the poem underscores the vast, multi-regional scale of the coming war, where many peoples are drawn into a conflict whose moral weight will be borne by all who participate.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
By listing many peoples drawn into the conflict, the verse highlights the expansive social and moral reach of war: a single dynastic struggle implicates numerous communities, reminding the listener that participation in adharma-laden violence spreads consequences far beyond the principal actors.
Sañjaya continues enumerating the various peoples and regional groups present among the assembled forces, extending the catalogue of contingents that have gathered for the Kurukṣetra war.