Shloka 32
शूड़वान् मन्दरो नीलो निषधो दर्दुरस्तथा । चित्रकूटोडजनाभश्न पर्वतो गन्धमादन:
Bhīṣma uvāca — Śūḍavān mandaro nīlo niṣadho darduras tathā | Citrakūṭo ’janābhaś ca parvato gandhamādanaḥ ||
भीष्म उवाच— शूड़वान् मन्दरो नीलो निषधो दर्दुरस्तथा । चित्रकूटोऽजनाभश्च पर्वतो गन्धमादनः ॥ (एते पवित्रा महीधरा नामग्रहणेन स्मरणेन च धर्मानुग्रहेण रक्षां प्रयच्छन्ति।)
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse participates in a dharmic practice of auspicious remembrance: invoking sacred mountains (and, in the broader passage, divine and cosmic powers) as supports of order and protection. Ethically, it reinforces humility and reverence—placing oneself under the guardianship of what is held sacred rather than relying on ego or force.
Bhishma is reciting a list of revered mountains as part of a larger protective enumeration (a litany of sacred beings/places). The intent is apotropaic—calling to mind holy names so that they ‘protect’ the reciter, consistent with the Anushasana Parva’s emphasis on dharma, vows, and meritorious remembrance.