Shloka 28

Adhyāya 6: Pañca-mahābhūta–guṇa-nirdeśa and Sudarśana-dvīpa

Five Elements, Sensory Qualities, and a Cosmographic Island

Devanagari script

तस्य शैलस्य शिखरात्‌ क्षीरधारा नरेश्वर । विश्वरूपापरिमिता भीमनिर्घातनि:स्वना

Transliteration

tasya śailasya śikharāt kṣīradhārā nareśvara | viśvarūpāparimitā bhīmanirghātaniḥsvanā ||

Translation

Sañjaya berkata: “Wahai raja, dari puncak gunung itu mengalir turun suatu arus putih bak susu—luas rupanya dan tiada terukur—dengan deru yang menggerunkan seperti dentuman halilintar.”

Word by Word

• तस्य: of that
• तस्य: Sambandha
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: तद्
• Form: Masculine/Neuter, Genitive, Singular

• शैलस्य: of the mountain
• शैलस्य: Sambandha
• Type: Noun
• Root: शैल
• Form: Masculine, Genitive, Singular

• शिखरात्: from the peak
• शिखरात्: Apadana
• Type: Noun
• Root: शिखर
• Form: Neuter, Ablative, Singular

• क्षीरधारा: a milk-like stream
• क्षीरधारा: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: क्षीरधारा
• Form: Feminine, Nominative, Singular

• नरेश्वर: O lord of men (king)
• नरेश्वर: Sambodhana
• Type: Noun
• Root: नरेश्वर
• Form: Masculine, Vocative, Singular

• विश्वरूपा: having manifold forms
• विश्वरूपा: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: विश्वरूप
• Form: Feminine, Nominative, Singular

• अपरिमिता: immeasurable
• अपरिमिता: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अपरिमित
• Form: Feminine, Nominative, Singular

• भीमनिर्घातनिःस्वना: having a sound like a terrible thunderclap
• भीमनिर्घातनिःस्वना: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: भीमनिर्घातनिःस्वन
• Form: Feminine, Nominative, Singular

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Sañjaya
• nareśvara (the king, i.e., Dhṛtarāṣṭra)
• śaila (mountain)
• śikhara (summit/peak)
• kṣīradhārā (milk-white stream)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse cultivates reverence and humility: by portraying a limitless, thunder-voiced, milk-white torrent descending from a mountain peak, it frames the world as pervaded by powers beyond human control. Such imagery ethically tempers royal and warrior pride, reminding rulers to act with restraint and awareness of a larger cosmic order.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya is describing a dramatic natural scene for the king: from the summit of a mountain a white, milk-like stream pours down, immense and immeasurable, roaring like a thunderclap. The description functions as heightened scene-setting, amplifying the atmosphere around the events being reported.