Shloka 59
Varṣa-Parvata-Nivāsinām Varnanam
Description of Regions, Mountains, and Their Inhabitants
कर्णाटका महिषका विकल्पा मूषकास्तथा । झिल्लिका: कुन्तलाश्वैव सौहदा नभकानना:,भरतश्रेष्ठ] अब जो दक्षिणदिशाके अन्यान्य जनपद हैं उनका वर्णन सुनिये--द्रविड, केरल, प्राच्य, भूषिक, वनवासिक, कर्णाटक, महिषक, विकल्प, मूषक, झिल्लिक, कुन्तल, सौहृद, नभकानन, कौकुट्टक, चोल, कोंकण, मालव, नर, समंग, करक, कुकुर, अंगार, मारिष, ध्वजिनी, उत्सव-संकेत, त्रिगर्त, शाल्वसेनि, व्यूक, कोकबक, प्रोष्ठ, समवेगवश, विन्ध्यचुलिक, पुलिन्द, वल्कल, मालव, बल्लव, अपरबल्लव, कुलिन्द, कालद, कुण्डल, करट, मूषक, स्तनबाल, सनीप, घट, सूंजय, अठिद, पाशिवाट, तनय, सुनय, ऋषिक, विदभ, काक, तंगण, परतंगण, उत्तर और क्रूर अपरम्लेच्छ, यवन, चीन तथा जहाँ भयानक म्लेच्छक-जातिके लोग निवास करते हैं, वह काम्बोज
karṇāṭakā mahiṣakā vikalpā mūṣakās tathā | jhillikāḥ kuntalāś caiva sauhadā nabhakānanāḥ ||
Sañjaya continued: “Also among the southern peoples are the Karṇāṭakas, the Mahiṣakas, the Vikalpas, and the Mūṣakas; likewise the Jhillikas, the Kuntalas, the Sauhadas, and those dwelling in the Nabha-kānana region.” In this catalogue, the epic situates the Kurukṣetra war within a pan-Indian horizon, emphasizing the vast reach of political alliances and the moral weight of a conflict that draws in many lands and communities.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
This verse is not a direct moral injunction but an epic device: by listing many peoples, it underscores the scale of the war and the collective responsibility and consequence when rulers and communities are drawn into adharma-driven conflict.
Sañjaya is enumerating various southern janapadas (peoples/regions) as part of a broader geographical catalogue, situating the armies and alliances connected to the Kurukṣetra war.