Shloka 1

Devanagari script

इस प्रकार श्रीमहाभारत उद्योगपर्वके अन्तर्गत भगवद्यानपर्वमें मातलिके द्वारा वरका खोजविषयक एक सौ एकवाँ अध्याय पूरा हुआ ॥/ १०९ ॥/ अपना बछ। 2 द्र्याधेकशततमो< ध्याय: सुरभि और उसकी 80005 कक रसातलके सुखका व नारद उवाच इदं रसातलं नाम सप्तमं पृथिवीतलम्‌ । यत्रास्ते सुरभिर्माता गवाममृतसम्भवा,नारदजी बोले--मातले! यह पृथ्वीका सातवाँ तल है, जिसका नाम रसातल है। यहाँ अमृतसे उत्पन्न हुई गोमाता सुरभि निवास करती हैं

Transliteration

nārada uvāca | idaṃ rasātalaṃ nāma saptamaṃ pṛthivītalam | yatrāste surabhī mātā gavām amṛtasambhavā ||

Translation

ନାରଦ କହିଲେ— “ଏହା ପୃଥିବୀର ସପ୍ତମ ତଳ; ଏହାର ନାମ ରସାତଳ। ଏଠାରେ ଅମୃତଜାତ ଗୋମାତା ସୁରଭି ବସୋବାସ କରନ୍ତି।”

Word by Word

नारदःNarada

उवाचsaid

इदम्this

रसातलम्Rasatala (netherworld)

नामby name / called

सप्तमम्seventh

पृथिवीतलम्surface/level of the earth

यत्रwhere

आस्तेdwells / sits

सुरभिःSurabhi (the cow-mother)

माताmother

गवाम्of cows

अमृतसम्भवाborn from nectar

Speaker

नारद उवाच

Characters & Entities

Narada

Rasatala

Surabhi

Earth (Prithivi)

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 verse frames Surabhī—source and protector of cattle—as a sacred, divinely originated being, reinforcing the dharmic valuation of cows and the moral duty of protection and reverence toward life-sustaining creatures.

What is happening in the narrative?

Narada identifies the location as Rasātala, the seventh subterranean level, and points out that Surabhī, the divine mother of cows, resides there—setting the scene for the episode connected with the search and encounter in the netherworld.