Shloka 21

Devanagari script

सरयूर्गण्डकी चैव लोहितश्न महानद: । ताम्रारुणा वेत्रवती पर्णाशा गौतमी तथा

Transliteration

sarayūr gaṇḍakī caiva lohitaś ca mahānadaḥ | tāmrāruṇā vetravatī parṇāśā gautamī tathā ||

Translation

ਭੀਸ਼ਮ ਨੇ ਆਖਿਆ—“ਸਰਯੂ, ਗੰਡਕੀ, ਲੋਹਿਤ ਅਤੇ ਮਹਾਨਦ; ਅਤੇ ਤਾਮ੍ਰਾ, ਅਰੁਣਾ, ਵੇਤ੍ਰਵਤੀ, ਪਰਣਾਸ਼ਾ ਅਤੇ ਗੌਤਮੀ—ਇਨ੍ਹਾਂ ਦਾ ਵੀ ਮੈਂ ਸਿਮਰਨ ਕਰਦਾ ਹਾਂ।”

Word by Word

• सरयूः: Sarayu (river)
• सरयूः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: सरयू
• Form: Feminine, Nominative, Singular

• गण्डकी: Gandaki (river)
• गण्डकी: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: गण्डकी
• Form: Feminine, Nominative, Singular

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

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

• लोहितः: Lohita (river)
• लोहितः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: लोहित
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

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

• महानदः: Mahanada (the great river; proper name)
• महानदः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: महानद
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• ताम्रारुणा: Tamraruna (river; copper-red)
• ताम्रारुणा: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: ताम्रारुणा
• Form: Feminine, Nominative, Singular

• वेत्रवती: Vetravati (river)
• वेत्रवती: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: वेत्रवती
• Form: Feminine, Nominative, Singular

• पर्णाशा: Parnasha (river)
• पर्णाशा: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: पर्णाशा
• Form: Feminine, Nominative, Singular

• गौतमी: Gautami (river; Godavari)
• गौतमी: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: गौतमी
• Form: Feminine, Nominative, Singular

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

Speaker

भीष्म उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Bhīṣma
• Sarayū river
• Gaṇḍakī river
• Lohita river
• Mahānada/Mahānadā river
• Tāmrā river
• Aruṇā river
• Vetravatī river
• Parṇāśā river
• Gautamī river

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse participates in a protective, purificatory remembrance: invoking sacred rivers is treated as a dharmic act that cultivates reverence, inner cleanliness, and alignment with auspicious forces that sustain life.

What is happening in the narrative?

Bhīṣma is reciting an extended catalogue of revered beings and places; here he specifically lists several rivers as part of a larger invocation meant to confer protection and merit.