Shloka 104
कृतयुगवर्णनम् तथा राजधर्मोपदेशः
Kṛtayuga Description and Instruction on Royal Dharma
नदीं ताम्रां च वेणां च पुण्यतोयां शुभावहाम् । सुवेणां कृष्णवेणां च इरामां च महानदीम्,नरश्रेष्ठ फिर तो मैं उस महात्मा बालकके उदरमें घूमने लगा। घूमते हुए मैंने वहाँ गंगा, सतलज, सीता, यमुना, कोसी, चम्बल, वेत्रवती, चिनाव, सरस्वती, सिन्धु, व्यास, गोदावरी, वस्वोकसारा, नलिनी, नर्मदा, ताम्रपर्णी, वेणा, शुभदायिनी पुण्यतोया, सुवेणा, कृष्णवेणा, महानदी इरामा, वितस्ता (झेलम), महानदी कावेरी, शोणभद्र, विशल्या तथा किम्पुना--इन सबको तथा इस पृथ्वीपर जो अन्य नदियाँ हैं, उनको भी देखा
nadīṁ tāmrāṁ ca veṇāṁ ca puṇyato yāṁ śubhāvahām | suveṇāṁ kṛṣṇaveṇāṁ ca irāmāṁ ca mahānadīm ||
Vaiśampāyana said: “There I beheld the river Tāmrā, and the Veṇā, and the sacred, auspicious river Puṇyato yā—bringer of good; also Suveṇā and Kṛṣṇaveṇā, and Irāmā, the great river.” In this passage, the narration emphasizes the sanctity of tīrthas (holy waters): the sighting and remembering of revered rivers is presented as spiritually purifying and conducive to well-being.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse reinforces the Mahābhārata’s tīrtha-ethic: sacred waters and holy geographies are carriers of puṇya (merit). Remembering, visiting, or even beholding such rivers is framed as auspicious and spiritually purifying, orienting the listener toward dharmic life through reverence for sanctified places.
Vaiśampāyana continues a descriptive catalogue of revered rivers encountered/seen in the narrated experience. This segment names several specific rivers—Tāmrā, Veṇā, Puṇyato yā, Suveṇā, Kṛṣṇaveṇā, Irāmā, and Mahānadī—highlighting their sacred and auspicious character within the broader travel/vision-like enumeration of tīrthas.