Shloka 32

Varṣa-Parvata-Nivāsinām Varnanam

Description of Regions, Mountains, and Their Inhabitants

Devanagari script

मानवीं वृषभां चैव ब्रद्ममेध्यां बृहद्धनिम्‌ एताश्चान्याश्व बहुधा महानद्यो जनाधिप,सुनसा, तमसा, दासी, वसा, वराणसी, नीला, घृतवती, महानदी पर्णाशा, मानवी, वृषभा, ब्रह्ममेध्या, बृहद्धनि, राजन! ये तथा और भी बहुत-सी नदियाँ हैं

Transliteration

mānavīṁ vṛṣabhāṁ caiva brahmamedhyāṁ bṛhaddhanim | etāś cānyāś ca bahudhā mahānadyō janādhipa ||

Translation

Санджая сказал: «О владыка людей, есть и эти великие реки — Манави, Вришабха, Брахмамедхья и Брихаддхани, — и многие другие, в разных краях».

Word by Word

मानवींthe river Mānavi

वृषभाम्the river Vṛṣabhā

चand

एवindeed/also

ब्रह्ममेध्याम्the river Brahmamedhyā

बृहद्धनिम्the river Bṛhaddhani

एताःthese

चand

अन्याःother

चand

बहुधाin many ways / in many (kinds)

महानद्यःgreat rivers

जनाधिपO lord of people (king)

सुनसाthe river Sunasā

तमसाthe river Tamasā

दासीthe river Dāsī

वसाthe river Vasā

वराणसीthe river/city-name Varāṇasī

नीलाthe river Nīlā

घृतवतीthe river Ghṛtavatī

महानदीthe river Mahānadī

पर्णाशाthe river Parṇāśā

मानवीthe river Mānavi

वृषभाthe river Vṛṣabhā

ब्रह्ममेध्याthe river Brahmamedhyā

बृहद्धनिthe river Bṛhaddhani

राजन्O king

येwhich (those)

तथाthus/likewise

अन्याःother

अपिalso/even

बह्व्यःmany

महानद्यःgreat rivers

सन्तिare/exist

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

Sañjaya

Janādhipa (the king addressed, i.e., Dhṛtarāṣṭra)

Mānavī (river)

Vṛṣabhā (river)

Brahmamedhyā (river)

Bṛhaddhanī (river)

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 functions as a catalogue of sacred geography: by naming great rivers while addressing the king, it underscores the vastness and ordered diversity of the realm, implying that righteous kingship (janādhipatva) is exercised with awareness of the land and its sanctifying waters.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya continues a descriptive enumeration, listing major rivers (and indicating many more) as part of a broader survey of regions and features relevant to the epic’s setting in the Bhīṣma Parva.