Shloka 57
Varṣa-Parvata-Nivāsinām Varnanam
Description of Regions, Mountains, and Their Inhabitants
किराता बर्बरा: सिद्धा वैदेहास्ताम्रलिप्तका: । ओण्ड्ा म्लेच्छा: सैसिरिश्रा: पार्वतीयाश्व मारिष,पुण्ड्र, भर्ग, किरात, सुदृष्ट, यामुन, शक, निषाद, निषध, आनर्त, नैर#ऋत, दुर्गाल, प्रतिमत्स्य, कुन्तल, कोसल, तीरग्रह, शूरसेन, ईजिक, कन्यकागुण, तिलभार, मसीर, मधुमान, सुकन्दक, काश्मीर, सिन्धुसौवीर, गान्धार, दर्शक, अभीसार, उलूत, शैवाल, बाह्लिक, दार्वी, वानव, दर्व, वातज, आमरथ, उरग, बहुवाद्य, सुदाम, सुमल्लिक, वध्र, करीषक, कुलिन्द, उपत्यक, वनायु, दश, पार्श्वरोम, कुशबिन्दु, कच्छ, गोपालकक्ष, जांगल, कुरुवर्णक, किरात, बर्बर, सिद्ध, वैदेह, ताम्रलिप्तक, ओण्ड्, म्लेच्छ, सैसिरिध्र और पार्वतीय इत्यादि
kirātā barbarāḥ siddhā vaidehās tāmrāliptakāḥ | oṇḍā mlecchāḥ saisiriśrāḥ pārvatīyāś ca māriṣa ||
Sañjaya said: “O venerable one, there were also Kirātas, Barbaras, Siddhas, the Vaidehas, and the people of Tāmrālipta; likewise the Oṇḍas, the Mlecchas, the Saisiriśras, and the mountaineers. Thus, many frontier and regional peoples—some regarded as outside the orthodox fold—were present, showing how the war drew in diverse communities beyond the central Kuru realm.”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse functions as a catalogue rather than a moral injunction: it underscores the vast, pan-regional scale of the Kurukṣetra conflict, where even distant or culturally ‘other’ communities become entangled in a dynastic war—hinting at the far-reaching social consequences of adharma-driven rivalry.
Sañjaya is reporting to Dhṛtarāṣṭra the composition of forces by naming various peoples and regions. Here he mentions Kirātas, Barbaras, Vaidehas, Tāmrāliptakas, Oṇḍas, Mlecchas, and mountain folk, indicating the breadth of participants assembled for battle.