Shloka 27

The Glory of Bhārata-varṣa: Enumerating Mountains, Rivers, and Regions

Devanagari script

मानवीं वृषभां भासां ब्रह्ममेध्यां दृषद्वतीम् । एताश्चान्याश्च बहुला महानद्यो द्विजर्षभाः

Transliteration

mānavīṃ vṛṣabhāṃ bhāsāṃ brahmamedhyāṃ dṛṣadvatīm | etāścānyāśca bahulā mahānadyo dvijarṣabhāḥ

Translation

มานวี วฤษภา ภาสา พรหมเมธยา และทฤษัทวตี—ทั้งนี้และแม่น้ำใหญ่ทั้งหลายอีกมาก, โอ้ทวิชผู้ประเสริฐ, ได้ถูกกล่าวถึง

Word by Word

• mānavīm: Mānavī (river)
• mānavīm: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mānavī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन

• vṛṣabhām: Vṛṣabhā (river)
• vṛṣabhām: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vṛṣabhā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन

• bhāsām: Bhāsā (river)
• bhāsām: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bhāsā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन

• brahmamedhyām: Brahmamedhyā (river)
• brahmamedhyām: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: brahma-medhyā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष: ब्रह्मणः मेध्या (river-name)

• dṛṣadvatīm: Dṛṣadvatī (river)
• dṛṣadvatīm: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: dṛṣadvatī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन

• etāḥ: these (rivers)
• etāḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: etad (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), बहुवचन (Plural)

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय-अव्यय (conjunction)

• anyāḥ: other (rivers)
• anyāḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: anya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय-अव्यय (conjunction)

• bahulāḥ: many/numerous
• bahulāḥ: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: bahula (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन; विशेषण (adjective) महा-नद्यः इत्यस्य

• mahānadyāḥ: great rivers
• mahānadyāḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mahā-nadī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन; कर्मधारय: महत्यः नद्यः ‘great rivers’

• dvijarṣabhāḥ: O best of the twice-born (Brahmins)
• dvijarṣabhāḥ: Sambodhana (सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: dvija-ṛṣabha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), प्रथमा, बहुवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष: द्विजानाम् ऋषभाः ‘bulls among the twice-born’ (vocative sense possible by context)

Speaker

Unspecified in the provided excerpt (likely a narrator addressing a Brahmin interlocutor as 'dvijarṣabha')

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: shanta

Secondary Rasa: adbhuta

Geographic Context

Type: river

Sandhi Resolution Notes

Sandhi Resolution Notes: एताश्चान्याश्च = एताः + च + अन्याः + च. Final pāda addresses the audience; dvijarṣabhāḥ is morphologically nominative plural but used as संबोधन (address) in many epic/purāṇic contexts.

Characters & Entities

• Mānavī (river)
• Vṛṣabhā (river)
• Bhāsā (river)
• Brahmamedhyā (river)
• Dṛṣadvatī (river)

FAQs

What does this verse indicate about sacred geography in the Padma Purana?

It catalogs revered rivers by name, reflecting the Purana’s role as a map of sacred landscape (tīrtha-oriented geography) where rivers function as major loci of ritual purity and pilgrimage.

Does this verse teach Bhakti directly?

Not explicitly; it primarily lists rivers. Indirectly, such catalogues support devotional practice by identifying sacred places associated with worship, vows, and pilgrimage.

What ethical or practical lesson is implied by addressing someone as 'dvijarṣabha'?

The address honors learned, disciplined conduct expected of a Brahmin—suggesting that sacred knowledge (including tīrtha lore) is to be received with attentiveness, restraint, and respect for dharma.