Shloka 49
Varṣa-Parvata-Nivāsinām Varnanam
Description of Regions, Mountains, and Their Inhabitants
कुन्दापरान्ता माहेया: कक्षा: सामुद्रनिष्कुटा: । अन्ध्राश्ष॒ बहवो राजन्नन्तर्गियास्तथैव च
kundāparāntā māheyāḥ kakṣāḥ sāmudraniṣkuṭāḥ | andhrāś ca bahavo rājann antargiryās tathaiva ca ||
Sañjaya said: “O King, there are also the Māheyas whose territory reaches as far as Kunda, the Kakṣas who dwell in coastal tracts by the sea, and many Andhras—along with those who live within the mountain ranges as well.”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores the vast, pan-regional scope of the conflict by listing diverse peoples and habitats (coastal, interior, mountainous). Ethically, it frames the war as a civilizational crisis drawing in many communities, heightening the responsibility of rulers to weigh the consequences of adharma-driven strife.
Sañjaya continues his report to King Dhṛtarāṣṭra by enumerating various groups present/associated with the forces—Māheyas, Kakṣas of coastal regions, many Andhras, and mountain-dwelling peoples—typical of the army-catalogue style in Bhīṣma Parva.