Shloka 24
Draupadī’s Instruction on Marital Conduct and Household Discipline (चित्तग्रहण-उपदेश)
तमसा नर्मदा चैव नदी गोदावरी तथा । वेणोपवेणा भीमा च वडवा चैव भारत
tamasā narmadā caiva nadī godāvarī tathā | veṇopaveṇā bhīmā ca vaḍavā caiva bhārata ||
Mārkaṇḍeya said: “So too are the rivers Tamasā, Narmadā, and Godāvarī; likewise Veṇā and Upaveṇā, Bhīmā, and Vaḍavā, O Bhārata.”
मार्कण्डेय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse contributes to a dharmic map of sacred geography: naming rivers as worthy of reverence and remembrance, reinforcing the idea that contact with tīrthas (holy waters/places) supports purification, restraint, and righteous living.
Mārkaṇḍeya continues an enumeration of notable rivers, addressing “Bhārata,” as part of a broader discourse that situates the listener within a landscape of revered tīrthas and their religious significance.