Shloka 2

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

Five Elements, Sensory Qualities, and a Cosmographic Island

Devanagari script

यावान्‌ भूम्यवकाशो<यं दृश्यते शशलक्षणे । तस्य प्रमाण प्रब्रूहि ततो वक्ष्यसि पिप्पलम्‌

Transliteration

dhṛtarāṣṭra uvāca |

yāvān bhūmy-avakāśo 'yaṃ dṛśyate śaśa-lakṣaṇe |

tasya pramāṇaṃ prabrūhi tato vakṣyasi pippalam ||

Translation

ธฤตราษฏร์ตรัสว่า “โอ้ผู้มีเครื่องหมายกระต่าย (คือพระจันทร์) จงบอกขนาดแห่งห้วงอากาศเหนือพื้นพิภพที่ตาแลเห็นได้ แล้วจึงพรรณนาถึงที่ตั้งแห่งต้นปิปปละ (อัศวัตถะ) ให้เราฟัง”

Word by Word

• यावान्: as great as; as much as
• यावान्: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: यावत्
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• भूमि-अवकाशः: space/extent of the earth (earth-space)
• भूमि-अवकाशः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: भूम्यवकाश
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• अयम्: this
• अयम्: Karta
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: इदम्
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• दृश्यते: is seen; appears
• Type: Verb
• Root: दृश्
• Form: Present, Third, Singular, Atmanepada, Passive/Reflexive (seen/appears)

• शश-लक्षणे: in/at the moon marked with a hare (hare-marked orb)
• शश-लक्षणे: Adhikarana
• Type: Noun
• Root: शशलक्षण
• Form: Neuter, Locative, Singular

• तस्य: of that; its
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: तद्
• Form: Masculine/Neuter, Genitive, Singular

• प्रमाणम्: measure; extent; proof
• प्रमाणम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्रमाण
• Form: Neuter, Accusative, Singular

• प्रब्रूहि: tell; declare
• Type: Verb
• Root: ब्रू
• Form: Imperative, Second, Singular, Parasmaipada

• ततः: then; thereafter
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ततः

• वक्ष्यसि: you will say; you will describe
• Type: Verb
• Root: वच्
• Form: Simple Future, Second, Singular, Parasmaipada

• पिप्पलम्: the pippala (sacred fig tree)
• पिप्पलम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: पिप्पल
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Singular

Speaker

धृतराष्ट उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Dhṛtarāṣṭra
• Candra (the Moon, implied by śaśa-lakṣaṇa)
• Pippala (sacred fig / pippala-place)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse foregrounds disciplined inquiry (praśna) and the desire for precise knowledge (pramāṇa) before proceeding to sacred description, reflecting a classical ideal: understanding the measure and order of the world as a basis for meaningful narration about holy places and symbols.

What is happening in the narrative?

Dhṛtarāṣṭra addresses the Moon (identified by the hare-mark) and asks it to quantify the visible expanse above the earth; once that is explained, he requests a description of the pippala-related sacred locus.