Shloka 24

Draupadī’s Instruction on Marital Conduct and Household Discipline (चित्तग्रहण-उपदेश)

Devanagari script

तमसा नर्मदा चैव नदी गोदावरी तथा । वेणोपवेणा भीमा च वडवा चैव भारत

Transliteration

tamasā narmadā caiva nadī godāvarī tathā | veṇopaveṇā bhīmā ca vaḍavā caiva bhārata ||

Translation

ମାର୍କଣ୍ଡେୟ କହିଲେ—ହେ ଭାରତ! ତମସା, ନର୍ମଦା ଓ ଗୋଦାବରୀ; ତଥା ବେଣା, ଉପବେଣା, ଭୀମା ଏବଂ ବଡ଼ବା—ଏହି ନଦୀମାନେ ମଧ୍ୟ (ପବିତ୍ର) ଅଟନ୍ତି।

Word by Word

• तमसा: Tamasā (river)
• तमसा: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: तमसा
• Form: Feminine, Nominative, Singular

• नर्मदा: Narmadā (river)
• नर्मदा: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: नर्मदा
• Form: Feminine, Nominative, Singular

• च: and
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च

• एव: indeed/also
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव

• नदी: river
• नदी: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: नदी
• Form: Feminine, Nominative, Singular

• गोदावरी: Godāvarī (river)
• गोदावरी: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: गोदावरी
• Form: Feminine, Nominative, Singular

• तथा: likewise/also
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तथा

• वेणु: Veṇu (river)
• वेणु: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: वेणु
• Form: Feminine, Nominative, Singular

• उपवेणा: Upaveṇā (river)
• उपवेणा: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: उपवेणा
• Form: Feminine, Nominative, Singular

• भीमा: Bhīmā (river)
• भीमा: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: भीमा
• Form: Feminine, Nominative, Singular

• च: and
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च

• वडवा: Vaḍavā (river)
• वडवा: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: वडवा
• Form: Feminine, Nominative, Singular

• च: and
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च

• एव: indeed/also
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव

• भारत: O Bhārata
• Type: Noun
• Root: भारत
• Form: Masculine, Vocative, Singular

Speaker

मार्कण्डेय उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Mārkaṇḍeya
• Bhārata (addressee)
• Tamasā (river)
• Narmadā (river)
• Godāvarī (river)
• Veṇā (river)
• Upaveṇā (river)
• Bhīmā (river)
• Vaḍavā (river)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse contributes to a dharmic map of sacred geography: naming rivers as worthy of reverence and remembrance, reinforcing the idea that contact with tīrthas (holy waters/places) supports purification, restraint, and righteous living.

What is happening in the narrative?

Mārkaṇḍeya continues an enumeration of notable rivers, addressing “Bhārata,” as part of a broader discourse that situates the listener within a landscape of revered tīrthas and their religious significance.