Shloka 19
Yuga-Lakṣaṇa and Varṣa-Pramāṇa Inquiry (युगलक्षण–वर्षप्रमाण–प्रश्न)
उत्तरेण तु राजेन्द्र श्यामो नाम महागिरि: । नवमेघप्रभ: प्रांशु: श्रीमानुज्ज्वलविग्रह:
sañjaya uvāca | uttarena tu rājendra śyāmo nāma mahāgiriḥ | navameghaprabhaḥ prāṃśuḥ śrīmān ujjvalavigrahaḥ ||
三阇耶说道：“大王，在北方矗立着一座名为‘沙耶摩’（Śyāma）的大山。其色如新凝雨云般幽暗，巍然高耸，气势逼人，具足光辉，山体却又耀然明亮，令人惊叹。”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse primarily serves a descriptive, cosmographic purpose rather than a direct ethical injunction: it models attentive, precise narration of the world’s features, presenting nature’s grandeur as ordered and meaningful within the epic’s larger vision.
Sañjaya continues a geographical/cosmological description (Śākadvīpa-varṇana), telling the king that on the northern side there is a great mountain called Śyāma, characterized by cloud-like dark radiance, great height, and a brilliant, splendid form.