Shloka 17
भूमिगुण-प्रश्नः
Inquiry into the qualities of Earth and the classification of beings
द्विरंशे पिप्पलस्तत्र द्विरेशे च शशों महान् । सर्वौषधिसमावाय: सर्वत: परिवारित:,इसके दो अंशमें पिप्पल और दो अंशमें महान् शश दृष्टिगोचर होता है। इनके सब ओर सम्पूर्ण ओषधियोंका समुदाय फैला हुआ है
dvir-aṁśe pippalas tatra dvir-eśe ca śaśo mahān | sarvauṣadhi-samāvāyaḥ sarvataḥ parivāritaḥ |
Sinabi ni Sañjaya: “Sa pangitaing iyon, may punong pippala (aśvattha) na nakikitang sumasakop sa dalawang bahagi, at gayundin ay may isang dambuhalang kuneho na sumasakop sa dalawang bahagi. Sa paligid nito ay naroon ang pagtitipon ng lahat ng uri ng halamang-gamot, na pumapalibot dito sa lahat ng panig.”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse uses symbolic natural imagery—sacred tree, hare, and healing herbs—to frame the war narrative within a moral cosmos where signs in nature reflect the ethical and fateful weight of human action.
Sañjaya reports a striking vision/scene in which a pippala tree and a great hare appear in measured ‘portions,’ with a complete ring of medicinal herbs surrounding them—part of the broader descriptive passage of signs and portents in Bhīṣma Parva.