Shloka 37

The Glory of Bhārata-varṣa: Enumerating Mountains, Rivers, and Regions

Devanagari script

बोधा मद्राः कलिंगाश्च काशयो परकाशयः । जठराः कुकुराश्चैव सुदशार्णाः सुसत्तमाः

Transliteration

bodhā madrāḥ kaliṃgāśca kāśayo parakāśayaḥ | jaṭharāḥ kukurāścaiva sudaśārṇāḥ susattamāḥ

Translation

ബോധർ, മദ്രർ, കലിംഗർ, കാശയർ, പരകാശയർ; ജഠരർ, കുകുരർ; കൂടാതെ സുദശാർണർ—ഇവർ എല്ലാവരും ശ്രേഷ്ഠ ജനപദങ്ങൾ.

Word by Word

• बोधाः: the Bodhas (people/tribe)
• बोधाः: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: बोध (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine/पुं), प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), बहुवचन (Plural/बहुवचन)

• मद्राः: the Madrās (people)
• मद्राः: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मद्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine/पुं), प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), बहुवचन (Plural/बहुवचन)

• कलिङ्गाः: the Kaliṅgas (people)
• कलिङ्गाः: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कलिङ्ग (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine/पुं), प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), बहुवचन (Plural/बहुवचन)

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध; connective)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (Indeclinable/अव्यय), समुच्चयबोधक-निपात (conjunction: 'and')

• काशयः: the Kāśayas (people/tribe)
• काशयः: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: काशय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine/पुं), प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), बहुवचन (Plural/बहुवचन)

• परकाशयः: the Para-kāśayas (other Kāśayas/foreign Kāśayas)
• परकाशयः: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: परकाशय (प्रातिपदिक; पर + काशय)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine/पुं), प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), बहुवचन (Plural/बहुवचन); तत्पुरुष-समास (determinative: 'other/foreign Kāśayas')

• जठराः: the Jaṭharas (people/tribe)
• जठराः: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: जठर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine/पुं), प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), बहुवचन (Plural/बहुवचन)

• कुकुराः: the Kukuras (people)
• कुकुराः: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कुकुर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine/पुं), प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), बहुवचन (Plural/बहुवचन)

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध; connective)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (Indeclinable/अव्यय), समुच्चयबोधक-निपात (conjunction: 'and')

• एव: indeed
• एव: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध; emphatic)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (Indeclinable/अव्यय), अवधारण-निपात (emphatic particle: 'indeed')

• सुदशार्णाः: the Su-daśārṇas (a people; 'good/auspicious Daśārṇas')
• सुदशार्णाः: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सुदशार्ण (प्रातिपदिक; सु + दशार्ण)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine/पुं), प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), बहुवचन (Plural/बहुवचन); उपपद/उपसर्गपूर्वक-तत्पुरुष (prefix सु- with name)

• सुसत्तमाः: very excellent; best
• सुसत्तमाः: Karta (कर्ता; adjectival to subject-list)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सुसत्तम (प्रातिपदिक; सु + सत्तम)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine/पुं), प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), बहुवचन (Plural/बहुवचन); विशेषण (adjective) qualifying the listed peoples

Speaker

Pulastya (to Bhīṣma) [contextual attribution for Svarga-khaṇḍa dialogues]

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: shanta

Secondary Rasa: adbhuta

Geographic Context

Type: city

Sandhi Resolution Notes

Sandhi Resolution Notes: कलिंगाश्च = कलिङ्गाः + च; कुकुराश्चैव = कुकुराः + च + एव

FAQs

What is the main theme of this verse in the Svarga-khaṇḍa?

It functions as a catalog of janapadas/peoples, preserving traditional names of regions and communities known to Purāṇic geography.

Does this verse teach Bhakti or ritual practice directly?

Not directly; it is primarily descriptive, contributing to the Purāṇa’s encyclopedic mapping of peoples and lands rather than prescribing devotion or rites.

Who are the groups named here (e.g., Madrā, Kaliṅga, Sudaśārṇa)?

They are traditional ethnogeographic names found across Purāṇic and epic literature, referring to recognized peoples/territories of ancient India as remembered in the Purāṇic worldview.