Shloka 6
Varṣa-Parvata-Nivāsinām Varnanam
Description of Regions, Mountains, and Their Inhabitants
पृथोस्तु राजन् वैन्यस्य तथेक्ष्वाकोर्महात्मन: । ययातेरम्बरीषस्य मान्धातुर्नहुषस्य च,राजन! दुर्धर्ष महाराज! वेननन्दन पृथु, महात्मा इक्ष्वाकु, ययाति, अम्बरीष, मान्धाता, नहुष, मुचुकुन्द, उशीनरपुत्र शिबि, ऋषभ, इलानन्दन पुरूरवा, राजा नृग, कुशिक, महात्मा गाधि, सोमक, दिलीप तथा अन्य जो महाबली क्षत्रिय नरेश हुए हैं, उन सभीको भारतवर्ष बहुत प्रिय रहा है
sañjaya uvāca |
pr̥thos tu rājan vainyasya tathekṣvākor mahātmanaḥ |
yayāter ambarīṣasya māndhātur nahuṣasya ca ||
Sañjaya said: O King, this land of Bhārata was dear to the great Pr̥thu, son of Vena, and likewise to the noble Ikṣvāku; to Yayāti and Ambarīṣa; and also to Māndhātṛ and Nahuṣa. By recalling these exemplary rulers, the passage frames Bhārata-varṣa as a cherished field of righteous kingship—where sovereignty is measured not merely by power, but by dharma, protection of subjects, and reverence for the ancestral realm.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse teaches that true greatness in rulership is tied to dharma and rootedness in the ancestral land: exemplary kings cherished Bhārata not as a possession for conquest, but as a sacred trust to protect and govern righteously.
Sañjaya, speaking to King Dhṛtarāṣṭra, lists celebrated monarchs (Pr̥thu, Ikṣvāku, Yayāti, Ambarīṣa, Māndhātṛ, Nahuṣa) as part of a broader recollection of mighty rulers, emphasizing the prestige and sanctity of Bhārata-varṣa and the tradition of dharmic kingship.