Bhishma Parva Adhyaya 9 Shloka 53 - Mahabharata | Malayalam | Vedapath

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Shloka 53

Varṣa-Parvata-Nivāsinām Varnanam

Description of Regions, Mountains, and Their Inhabitants

Devanagari script

तिलभारा मसीराश्च मधुमन्त: सुकन्दका: । काश्मीरा: सिन्धुसौवीरा गान्धारा दर्शकास्तथा

Transliteration

sañjaya uvāca |

tilabhārā masīrāś ca madhumantaḥ sukandakāḥ |

kāśmīrāḥ sindhusauvīrā gāndhārā darśakās tathā |

Translation

സഞ്ജയൻ പറഞ്ഞു—തിലഭാരർ, മസീരർ, മധുമന്തർ, സുകന്ദകർ; കൂടാതെ കാശ്മീരർ, സിന്ധു-സൗവീരർ, ഗാന്ധാരർ, ദർശകർ എന്നിവരും ഉണ്ടായിരുന്നു.

Word by Word

तिलभारा:the Tilabhāras (a people/tribe)

मसीराःthe Masīras (a people/tribe)

चand

मधुमन्तःthe Madhumants (a people/tribe)

सुकन्दकाःthe Sukandakas (a people/tribe)

काश्मीराःthe Kashmiris

सिन्धुसौवीराःthe Sindhus and Sauvīras

गान्धाराःthe Gandhāras

दर्शकाःthe Darśakas (a people/tribe)

तथाalso/likewise

पुण्ड्राःthe Puṇḍras

भर्गाःthe Bhargas (a people/tribe)

किराताःthe Kirātas

सुदृष्टाःthe Sudṛṣṭas (a people/tribe)

यामुनाःthe Yāmunas (people of Yamunā region)

शकाःthe Śakas (Scythians)

निषादाःthe Niṣādas

निषधाःthe Niṣadhas (a people/region)

आनर्ताःthe Ānartas

नैरृताःthe Nairṛtas (southern/western people; of Nirṛti)

दुर्गालाःthe Durgālas (a people/tribe)

प्रतिमत्स्याःthe Prati-Matsyas (a Matsya-related people)

कुन्तलाःthe Kuntalas

कोसलाःthe Kosalas

तीरग्रहाःthe Tīragrahas (shore/ford-holders; a people)

शूरसेनाःthe Śūrasenas

ईजिकाःthe Ījikas (a people/tribe)

कन्यकागुणाःthe Kanyakāguṇas (a people/tribe)

अभीसाराःthe Abhīsāras

उलूताःthe Ulūtas (a people/tribe)

शैवालाःthe Śaivālas (a people/tribe)

बाह्लिकाःthe Bāhlikas (Bactrians)

दार्व्याःthe Dārvyas (a people/tribe)

वानवाःthe Vānavas (a people/tribe)

दर्वाःthe Darvas (a people/tribe)

वातजाःthe Vātajas (a people/tribe)

आमरथाःthe Āmarathas (a people/tribe)

उरगाःthe Uragas (a people/tribe; lit. 'serpents')

बहुवाद्याःthose having many musical instruments (a people/tribe)

सुदामाःthe Sudāmas (a people/tribe)

सुमल्लिकाःthe Sumallikas (a people/tribe)

वध्राःthe Vadhras (a people/tribe)

करीषकाःthe Karīṣakas (a people/tribe)

कुलिन्दाःthe Kulindas

उपत्यकाःthe Upatyakās (valley-dwellers/valleys; as a group-name)

वनायवःthe Vanāyus (forest-dwellers; a people/tribe)

दशाःthe Daśas (fisherfolk/boatmen; a people)

पार्श्वरोमाःthe Pārśvaromas (a people/tribe; lit. 'side-haired')

कुशबिन्दवःthe Kuśabindus

कच्छाःthe Kacchas (Kutch people/region)

गोपालकक्षाःthe Gopālakakṣas (a people/tribe)

जाङ्गलाःthe Jāṅgalas (people of arid tract)

कुरुवर्णकाःthe Kurūvarṇakas (a people/tribe)

बर्बराःthe Barbaras

सिद्धाःthe Siddhas (perfected beings/people)

वैदेहाःthe Vaidehas

ताम्रलिप्तकाःthe Tāmraliptakas (people of Tāmraliptā)

ओण्डाःthe Oṇḍas (a people/tribe)

म्लेच्छाःthe Mlecchas (foreign/uncultured peoples)

सैसिरिध्राःthe Saisiridhras (a people/tribe)

पार्वतीयाःthe mountain-dwellers

इत्यादिand so on

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

Sañjaya

Tilabhāras

Masīras

Madhumantas

Sukandakas

Kāśmīra

Sindhu

Sauvīra

Gāndhāra

Darśakas

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse functions less as a moral maxim and more as an ethical warning by implication: when rulers choose war, its burden spreads far beyond the original dispute, pulling many peoples into suffering and responsibility.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya continues reporting to Dhṛtarāṣṭra a list of the various peoples/regions present in the war assemblage, naming groups such as the Kāśmīras, Sindhu-Sauvīras, and Gāndhāras among others.