Mahabharata — Shanti Parva, Shloka 11536

Varṇa-dharma and Rājadharma: Yudhiṣṭhira’s Inquiry and Bhīṣma’s Normative Outline (वर्णधर्म-राजधर्म-प्रश्नोत्तरम्)

Devanagari script

धनुष्कोट्या महाराज तेन शैला विवर्धिता: । महाराज! सभी मन्वन्तरोंमें यह पृथ्वी ऊँची-नीची हो जाती है; उस समय वेनकुमार पृथुने धनुषकी कोटिद्वारा चारों ओरसे शिलासमूहोंको उखाड़ डाला और उन्हें एक स्थानपर संचित कर दिया; इसीलिये पर्वतोंकी लम्बाई

Transliteration

dhanurkoṭyā mahārāja tena śailā vivardhitāḥ | mahārāja! sarveṣu manvantareṣu iyaṃ pṛthivī ūncī-nīcī bhavati; tadā venakumāraḥ pṛthuḥ dhanurkoṭyā samantataḥ śilāsaṃghān utkhāṭya ekasmin sthāne saṃcicāya; tasmāt parvatānāṃ lambatā vistāraś ca ucchrayas ca vivardhata iti |

Translation

ଭୀଷ୍ମ କହିଲେ—ମହାରାଜ, ତାଙ୍କ ଧନୁଷର କୋଟିଦ୍ୱାରା ପର୍ବତମାନେ ବୃଦ୍ଧି ପାଇଲେ। ପ୍ରତ୍ୟେକ ମନ୍ୱନ୍ତରରେ ଏହି ପୃଥିବୀ କେଉଁଠି ଉଚ୍ଚ କେଉଁଠି ନିମ୍ନ ହୋଇ ଅସମ ହୁଏ; ସେତେବେଳେ ୱେନପୁତ୍ର ପୃଥୁ ଧନୁଷର କୋଟିଦ୍ୱାରା ଚାରିଦିଗର ଶିଳାସମୂହକୁ ଉଖାଡ଼ି ଏକ ସ୍ଥାନରେ ସଞ୍ଚୟ କଲେ। ତେଣୁ ପର୍ବତମାନଙ୍କର ଲମ୍ବ, ପ୍ରସ୍ଥ ଓ ଉଚ୍ଚତା ବଢ଼ିଗଲା।

Word by Word

• धनुष्कोट्या: with the tip/end of the bow
• धनुष्कोट्या: Karana
• Type: Noun
• Root: धनुष्कोटि
• Form: Feminine, Instrumental, Singular

• महाराज: O great king
• महाराज: Adhikarana
• Type: Noun
• Root: महाराज
• Form: Masculine, Vocative, Singular

• तेन: by that / thereby
• तेन: Karana
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: तद्
• Form: Masculine/Neuter, Instrumental, Singular

• शैलाः: mountains
• शैलाः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: शैल
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

• विवर्धिताः: increased / made to grow
• विवर्धिताः: Karta
• Type: Verb
• Root: वि + वर्ध्
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural, Past passive participle (क्त)

Speaker

भीष्म उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Bhishma
• Mahārāja (Yudhiṣṭhira)
• Pṛthu (Vena-kumāra)
• Vena
• Pṛthivī (Earth)
• Manvantara
• Mountains (Śailāḥ/Parvatāḥ)
• Bow (Dhanus)
• Bow-tip (Dhanurkoṭi)
• Rocks (Śilāsaṃghāḥ)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

A righteous king’s role is to restore order and stability when the world becomes disordered—even on a cosmic scale. Prithu exemplifies proactive governance: using power as a tool to reorganize nature for the common good, not for personal gain.

What is happening in the narrative?

Bhishma explains that across different Manvantaras the earth becomes uneven. In such a period, King Prithu, son of Vena, uproots scattered rock-masses with the tip of his bow and piles them together, which results in mountains becoming larger in length, breadth, and height.