Shloka 52
Adhyāya 6: Pañca-mahābhūta–guṇa-nirdeśa and Sudarśana-dvīpa
Five Elements, Sensory Qualities, and a Cosmographic Island
देवासुराणां सर्वेषां श्वेतपर्वत उच्यते । गन्धर्वा निषधे नित्यं नीले ब्रह्मर्षयस्तथा । शुज्भवांस्तु महाराज देवानां प्रतिसंचर:
sañjaya uvāca | devāsurāṇāṁ sarveṣāṁ śvetaparvata ucyate | gandharvā niṣadhe nityaṁ nīle brahmarṣayas tathā | śuṅgavāṁs tu mahārāja devānāṁ pratisañcaraḥ ||
Sañjaya berkata: “Śvetaparvata disebut sebagai tempat kediaman bersama bagi semuanya—para dewa dan asura. Para Gandharva menetap sentiasa di Niṣadha, dan para Brahmarṣi demikian juga di Nīla. Namun Śuṅgavān, wahai raja agung, ialah tempat beristirahat dan bersuka-ria yang hanya dikunjungi para dewa.”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse maps a moral-cosmic order onto geography: different classes of beings have distinct domains, and some spaces are shared (devas and asuras at Śvetaparvata) while others are exclusive (Śuṅgavān for devas). This reflects the epic’s concern with gradations of purity, privilege, and rightful sphere (adhikāra).
Sañjaya, speaking to King Dhṛtarāṣṭra, describes mythic mountains and their inhabitants—where gods, asuras, Gandharvas, and Brahmarṣis reside—providing a cosmographical catalogue within Bhīṣma Parva’s broader scene-setting.