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Shloka 37

Devanagari script

भारत! सदा निरामया, कृष्णा, मन्दगा, मन्दवाहिनी, ब्राह्मणी, महागौरी, दुर्गा, चित्रोत्पला, चित्ररथा, मंजुला, वाहिनी, मन्दाकिनी, वैतरणी, महानदी कोषा, शुक्तिमती, अनंगा, वृषा, लोहित्या, करतोया, वृषका, कुमारी, ऋषिकुल्या, मारिषा, सरस्वती, मन्दाकिनी, सुपुण्या, सर्वा तथा गंगा, भारत! इन नदियोंके जल भारतवासी पीते हैं ।। ३३ ३५ || विश्वस्य मातर: सर्वा: सर्वाश्षेव महाफला: । तथा नद्यस्त्वप्रकाशा: शतशो5थ सहस्रश:,राजन! पूर्वोक्त सभी नदियाँ सम्पूर्ण विश्वकी माताएँ हैं, वे सब-की-सब महान पुण्य फल देनेवाली हैं। इनके सिवा सैकड़ों और हजारों ऐसी नदियाँ हैं, जो लोगोंके परिचयमें नहीं आयी हैं

Transliteration

sañjaya uvāca |

bhārata! sadā nirāmayā kṛṣṇā mandagā mandavāhinī brāhmaṇī mahāgaurī durgā citrotpalā citrarathā mañjulā vāhinī mandākinī vaitaraṇī mahānadī koṣā śuktimatī anaṅgā vṛṣā lohityā karatoyā vṛṣakā kumārī ṛṣikulyā māriṣā sarasvatī mandākinī supuṇyā sarvā tathā gaṅgā |

bhārata! in nadīnāṃ jalaṃ bhāratavāsinaḥ pibanti ||

viśvasya mātaraḥ sarvāḥ sarvāś caiva mahāphalāḥ |

tathā nadyas tv aprakāśāḥ śataśo ’tha sahasraśaḥ ||

Translation

Sañjaya berkata: “Wahai Bhārata (Dhṛtarāṣṭra)! Rakyat Bhārata meminum air sungai-sungai ini—Nirāmayā, Kṛṣṇā, Mandagā, Mandavāhinī, Brāhmaṇī, Mahāgaurī, Durgā, Citrotpalā, Citrarathā, Mañjulā, Vāhinī, Mandākinī, Vaitaraṇī, Mahānadī, Koṣā, Śuktimatī, Anaṅgā, Vṛṣā, Lohityā, Karatoyā, Vṛṣakā, Kumārī, Ṛṣikulyā, Māriṣā, Sarasvatī, Mandākinī, Supuṇyā, Sarvā, dan juga Gaṅgā. Semua sungai ini seolah-olah ibu bagi seluruh dunia, dan tiap-tiapnya menganugerahkan pahala kebajikan yang besar. Dan selain itu, wahai Raja, masih ada ratusan dan ribuan sungai lain yang tidak banyak dikenal manusia.”

Word by Word

भारतO Bharata (descendant of Bharata)

सदाalways

निरामयाःfree from disease/affliction

कृष्णाःthe river Kṛṣṇā

मन्दगाःthe river Mandagā (slow-going)

मन्दवाहिन्यःthe river Mandavāhinī (slow-flowing)

ब्राह्मण्यःthe river Brāhmaṇī

महागौर्यःthe river Mahāgaurī

दुर्गाःthe river Durgā

चित्रोत्पलाःthe river Citrotpalā

चित्ररथाःthe river Citrarathā

मञ्जुलाःthe river Mañjulā

वाहिन्यःthe river Vāhinī

मन्दाकिन्यःthe river Mandākinī

वैतरण्यःthe river Vaitaraṇī

महानद्यःthe river Mahānadī

कोषाःthe river Koṣā

शुक्तिमत्यःthe river Śuktimatī

अनङ्गाःthe river Anaṅgā

वृषाःthe river Vṛṣā

लोहित्याःthe river Lohityā

करतोयाःthe river Karatoyā

वृषकाःthe river Vṛṣakā

कुमार्यःthe river Kumārī

ऋषिकुल्याःthe river Ṛṣikulyā

मारिषाःthe river Māriṣā

सरस्वत्यःthe river Sarasvatī

मन्दाकिन्यःthe river Mandākinī

सुपुण्याःthe river Supuṇyā (very meritorious)

सर्वाःall

तथाand also/likewise

गङ्गाःthe river Gaṅgā

भारतO Bharata

इनof these

नदीनाम्of (the) rivers

जलम्water

भारतवासिनःinhabitants of Bhārata (Indians)

पिबन्तिdrink

विश्वस्यof the world

मातरःmothers

सर्वाःall

चand

एवindeed/just

महाफलाःgreatly fruit-giving; yielding great merit

तथाand also/likewise

नद्यःrivers

तुbut/indeed

अप्रकाशाःunknown; not well-known

शतशःby hundreds; in hundreds

अथand then/also

सहस्रशःby thousands; in thousands

राजन्O king

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

Sañjaya

Dhṛtarāṣṭra (addressed as Bhārata)

Gaṅgā

Sarasvatī

Mandākinī

Vaitaraṇī

Kṛṣṇā (river)

Karatoyā

Lohityā

Śuktimatī

Koṣā

Mahānadī

Ṛ

Ṛṣikulyā

Kumārī

Durgā (river-name here)

Brāhmaṇī

Mahāgaurī

Citrotpalā

Citrarathā

Mañjulā

Vāhinī

Nirāmayā

Mandagā

Mandavāhinī

Anaṅgā

Vṛṣā

Vṛṣakā

Māriṣā

Supuṇyā

Sarvā

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 passage frames rivers as ‘mothers of the world’—life-giving and spiritually meritorious—highlighting gratitude toward nature and the dharmic idea that sustaining waters are worthy of reverence and remembrance.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya, speaking to King Dhṛtarāṣṭra, enumerates many rivers of Bhārata whose waters people drink, then adds that these are all highly merit-bestowing and that countless other lesser-known rivers also exist.