Shloka 8
Varuṇābhiṣeka–Agni-anveṣaṇa–Kaubera-tīrtha
Varuṇa’s Consecration; Search for Agni; Kaubera Sacred Site
मेघस्वना भोगवती सुभ्रुक्ष कनकावती । अलाताक्षी वीर्यवती विद्युज्जिल्ला च भारत
meghasvanā bhogavatī subhrūkṣa kanakāvatī | alātākṣī vīryavatī vidyujjillā ca bhārata ||
Vaiśampāyana said: “O Bhārata, (there were women) named Meghasvanā, Bhogavatī, Subhrūkṣā, Kanakāvatī, Alātākṣī, Vīryavatī, and Vidyujjillā.” The verse functions as a catalog of notable figures, preserving memory and lineage within the war narrative and underscoring how the epic records even those who appear briefly amid the vast moral and human cost of conflict.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse exemplifies the Mahābhārata’s ethic of remembrance: even within a war-centered narrative, individuals are named and preserved in the record. This cataloguing highlights the epic’s concern with lineage, reputation, and the human breadth of events, reminding readers that dharma-history includes many lives beyond the principal heroes.
Vaiśampāyana, narrating to King Janamejaya (addressed as ‘Bhārata’), lists a set of women by name. Such lists typically occur while describing a group connected to a particular episode (e.g., attendants, relatives, or those present in a scene), serving to situate the story within a wider social and genealogical frame.