Shloka 176
Bhīṣma Parva, Adhyāya 4 — Dhṛtarāṣṭra–Vyāsa Saṃvāda on Kāla and Jayalakṣaṇa
Signs of Victory
ऋक्षाश्न वानराश्नैव सप्तारण्या: स्मृता नृप । नरेश्वर! उपर्युक्त चौदह प्रकारके जरायुज प्राणियोंमें वनवासी पशु सात हैं और ग्रामवासी भी सात ही हैं। सिंह
ṛkṣāśn vānaraśn caiva saptāraṇyāḥ smṛtā nṛpa | nareśvara uparyukte caturdaśa-prakārake jarāyuje prāṇiṣu vanavāsinaḥ paśavaḥ sapta ca grāmavāsinaḥ saptaiva | siṃhaḥ vyāghraḥ varāhaḥ mahiṣaḥ gajaḥ ṛkṣaḥ vānaraś caite sapta vanavāsinaḥ paśavaḥ smṛtāḥ |
सञ्जय उवाच—नृप, पूर्वोक्तेषु चतुर्दशसु जरायुजेषु सप्त आरण्याः सप्त ग्राम्याश्च स्मृताः। सिंहव्याघ्रवराहमहिषगजऋक्षवानराः सप्त आरण्याः॥
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse primarily offers a traditional classification: among viviparous beings, certain animals are identified as forest-dwellers. Its broader lesson is the Mahābhārata’s tendency to systematize knowledge—naming and distinguishing beings according to habitat and nature—supporting clarity in discourse.
Sañjaya, speaking to the king (Dhṛtarāṣṭra), continues an enumerative explanation and specifies which seven animals are considered forest-dwelling: lion, tiger, boar, buffalo, elephant, bear, and monkey.