Shloka 24
Adhyāya 6: Pañca-mahābhūta–guṇa-nirdeśa and Sudarśana-dvīpa
Five Elements, Sensory Qualities, and a Cosmographic Island
पाश्वें तस्योत्तरे दिव्यं सर्वर्तुकुसुमैश्चितम् । कर्णिकारवनं रम्यं शिलाजालसमुद्गतम्
pārśve tasyottare divyaṃ sarvartukusumaiś citam | karṇikāravanaṃ ramyaṃ śilājālasamudgatam ||
Sañjaya berkata: “Pada lereng utaranya terletak sebuah rimba karṇikāra yang bersifat ilahi dan mempesona, dihiasi bunga-bunga dari segala musim, menjulang di tengah gugusan batu-batu yang bertimbun.”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse is primarily descriptive, but it implicitly teaches through contrast: the cosmos and nature display order, beauty, and continuity (flowers of all seasons), while human beings, driven by ambition and anger, disrupt harmony through war. This juxtaposition invites reflection on dharma—how one ought to act so that human conduct aligns with the world’s deeper order.
Sañjaya is describing a wondrous northern region associated with a great mountain (glossed as Sumeru), pointing out a divine karṇikāra grove filled with seasonal blossoms and marked by rocky outcrops. It functions as vivid scene-setting within his broader report.