Shloka 48

Adhyāya 6: Pañca-mahābhūta–guṇa-nirdeśa and Sudarśana-dvīpa

Five Elements, Sensory Qualities, and a Cosmographic Island

Devanagari script

वस्वोकसारा नलिनी पावनी च सरस्वती । जम्बूनदी च सीता च गज्जा सिन्धुश्च सप्तमी,उन धाराओंके नाम इस प्रकार हैं--वस्वोकसारा, नलिनी, पावनी सरस्वती, जम्बूनदी, सीता, गंगा और सिंधु

Transliteration

vasvokasārā nalinī pāvanī ca sarasvatī | jambūnadī ca sītā ca gaṅgā sindhuś ca saptamī ||

Translation

சஞ்சயன் கூறினான்—அந்த ஏழு புனித ஓடைகளின் பெயர்கள்: வச்வோகசாரா, நலினீ, பாவனீ, சரஸ்வதி, ஜம்பூநதி, சீதா, கங்கை, மேலும் ஏழாவதாக சிந்து.

Word by Word

वस्वोकसाराVasvokasārā (name of a river/stream)

नलिनीNalinī (name of a river/stream)

पावनीPāvanī (name of a river/stream; 'purifying')

चand

सरस्वतीSarasvatī (river Sarasvati)

जम्बूनदीJambūnadī (name of a river/stream)

चand

सीताSītā (name of a river/stream)

चand

गङ्गाGaṅgā (Ganges)

सिन्धुःSindhu (Indus)

चand

सप्तमीthe seventh (one)

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

Sañjaya

Vasvokasārā (river/stream)

Nalinī (river/stream)

Pāvanī (river/stream)

Sarasvatī (river)

Jambūnadī (river/stream)

Sītā (river/stream)

Gaṅgā (river)

Sindhu (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 highlights the sanctity of certain rivers/streams, implying that contact with or remembrance of sacred waters is associated with purification and auspiciousness—an ethical-cultural motif where purity supports right conduct and spiritual merit.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya is listing the names of seven revered streams. The passage functions as a catalog of sacred geography, situating the narrative within a world where rivers are not merely physical features but carriers of holiness and moral symbolism.