Shloka 23
दमयन्त्याः व्याकुलता — स्वयंवरसंनिपातः — देवदूतयाचनम्
Damayantī’s Distress, Proclamation of the Svayaṃvara, and the Gods’ Request
सागरानूपकांश्वैव ये च प्रान्ताभिवासिन: । सिंहलान् बर्बरान् म्लेच्छान् ये च लड़कानिवासिन:,“उस समय सब भूमिपाल पाण्डवोंके शस्त्रोंके तेजसे भयभीत थे। अंग, वंग, पुण्ड्र, उड़, चोल, द्राविड़, आन्ध्र, सागरतटवर्ती द्वीप तथा समुद्रके समीप निवास करनेवाले जो राजा थे, वे सभी राजसूययज्ञमें उपस्थित थे। सिंहल, बर्बर, म्लेच्छ, लंकानिवासी, पश्चिमके राष्ट्र सागरके निकटवर्ती सैकड़ों प्रदेश, पह्लव, दरद, समस्त किरात, यवन, शक, हारहूण, चीन, तुषार, सैन्धव, जागुड़, रामठ, मुण्ड, स्त्रीराज्य, तंगण, केकय, मालव तथा काश्मीरदेशके नरेश भी राजसूययज्ञमें बुलाये गये थे और मैंने उन सबको आपके यज्ञमें रसोई परोसते देखा था
sāgarānūpakāṁś caiva ye ca prāntābhivāsinaḥ | siṁhalān barbarān mlecchān ye ca laṅkānivāsinaḥ ||
Sañjaya said: “And also those who dwell along the seacoasts and watery lowlands, and those who live on the frontiers—Sinhala people, Barbarians, and Mlecchas, and those residing in Laṅkā as well.” In context, this is part of a sweeping catalogue of regions and peoples, underscoring the vast reach of imperial authority and the political-moral weight of a great royal rite: the gathering is not merely geographic, but a statement about power, allegiance, and the ordering of the world under a king’s sacrificial sovereignty.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse contributes to an epic theme: legitimate kingship is displayed through the ability to gather diverse peoples under a recognized order. It also reflects the Mahābhārata’s moral-political lens, where ritual sovereignty and political allegiance are intertwined, and where ‘insider/outsider’ categories (like mleccha) mark perceived cultural boundaries.
Sañjaya is recounting a grand assembly by listing coastal, frontier, and distant island peoples—Sinhala, barbaras, mlecchas, and Laṅkā-dwellers—who are said to be present/associated with the great royal occasion being described in the surrounding passage.