Shloka 68
Varṣa-Parvata-Nivāsinām Varnanam
Description of Regions, Mountains, and Their Inhabitants
खाशीराश्चान्तचाराश्न पह्लनवा गिरिगह्वरा: । आत्रेया: सभरद्वाजास्तथैव स्तनपोषिका:,सकृदग्रह, कुलत्थ, हूण, पारसिक, रमण-चीन, दशमालिक, क्षत्रियोंके उपनिवेश, वैश्यों और शाूद्रोंके जनपद, शूद्र, आभीर, दरद, काश्मीर, पशु, खाशीर, अन्तचार, पह्वव, गिरिगह्वर, आत्रेय, भरद्वाज, स्तनपोषिक, प्रोषक, कलिंग, किरात जातियोंके जनपद, तोमर, हनन््यमान और करभंजक इत्यादि
sañjaya uvāca | khāśīrāś cāntacārāś ca pahlavā giriguhvarāḥ | ātreyāḥ sabharadvājās tathaiva stanapoṣikāḥ ||
Sañjaya said: “There were also the Khāśīras and the Antacāras, the Pahlavas and the mountain-dwellers of the deep ravines; the Ātreyas together with the Bharadvājas, and likewise the Stanapoṣikas.” In this catalogue of peoples, the epic underscores how the conflict draws in far-flung communities and lineages, suggesting the vast social and moral reach of the war’s consequences.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse contributes to the epic’s ethical scale: war is not a private quarrel but a civilizational event whose harm and responsibility spread across many peoples and regions. By naming diverse communities, the text implicitly warns that adharma in leadership can engulf the whole world.
Sañjaya is reporting to Dhṛtarāṣṭra a sweeping enumeration of peoples/regions involved or present in the great conflict’s mobilization. This verse is one segment of that catalogue, listing several groups and lineages.