Shloka 38

Devanagari script

धनु:संस्थे महाराज द्रे वर्षे दक्षिणोत्तरे । इलावृतं मध्यमं तु पञच वर्षाणि चैव हि,महाराज! दक्षिण और उत्तरके क्रमश: भारत और ऐरावत नामक दो वर्ष धनुषकी दो कोटियोंके समान स्थित हैं और बीचमें पाँच वर्ष (श्वेत, हिरण्यक, इलावृत, हरिवर्ष तथा हैमवत) हैं। इन सबके बीचमें इलावृतवर्ष है

Transliteration

dhanuḥsaṃsthe mahārāja dve varṣe dakṣiṇottare | ilāvṛtaṃ madhyamaṃ tu pañca varṣāṇi caiva hi ||

Translation

धनुःसंस्थे महाराज द्वे वर्षे दक्षिणोत्तरे । इलावृतं मध्यमं तु पञ्च वर्षाणि चैव हि ॥

Word by Word

धनुःa bow

संस्थेin the two positions/ends

महाराजO great king

द्वेtwo

वर्षेregions/lands (varṣas)

दक्षिणsouthern

उत्तरेnorthern

इलावृतम्Ilāvṛta (name of a varṣa)

मध्यमम्the middle/central

तुbut/indeed

पञ्चfive

वर्षाणिregions/lands (varṣas)

चand

एवindeed/just

हिfor/indeed

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

Sañjaya

Mahārāja (Dhṛtarāṣṭra, implied addressee)

Ilāvṛta (Ilāvṛtavarṣa)

Dakṣiṇa (southern region)

Uttara (northern region)

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 emphasizes an ordered cosmic arrangement—regions placed with symmetry (like the ends of a bow) and a defined center (Ilāvṛta). Implicitly, it reflects the Mahābhārata’s recurring ideal that stability and righteousness (dharma) depend on proper order and clear structure.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya is describing the world’s divisions (varṣas) in a cosmographic account, locating the southern and northern regions at the ‘two ends’ and identifying Ilāvṛta as the central region, with five regions described as lying in between.