Shloka 8
Bhārata-varṣa-varṇana
Description of Bhārata: Mountains, Rivers, and Janapadas
महाबला महासत्त्वा: प्रज्ञागुणसमन्विता: । प्रजायन्ते च जाताश्न शतशोडथ सहस्रश:
mahābalā mahāsattvāḥ prajñā-guṇa-samanvitāḥ | prajāyante ca jātāś ca śataśo ’tha sahasraśaḥ ||
Wika ni Sañjaya: “Sa panahong iyon, ang mga tao’y isinisilang na may dakilang lakas at marangal na sigla, hitik sa karunungan at mga birtud; at pagkapanganak, sila’y nagkakaanak ng daan-daan, maging libu-libo. Iyon ay panahong sagana sa kabutihang-loob at gantimpala, kung kailan ang yaman ng pag-aayuno at kapangyarihang espirituwal ay karaniwan, at ang mga dakilang rishi ay madalas na isilang.”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse contrasts ages by highlighting that in a righteous era (implicitly Satya-yuga), human beings naturally manifest sattva—strength, wisdom, and virtue—and society becomes fertile in both progeny and spiritual attainment, with tapas and seerhood arising commonly.
Sañjaya is describing characteristics of an earlier, more dharmic age: people are born with exceptional strength and noble qualities and produce large lineages; the broader implication is a yuga-based moral decline/contrast relevant to the present war-torn time.