Shloka 176
Bhīṣma Parva, Adhyāya 4 — Dhṛtarāṣṭra–Vyāsa Saṃvāda on Kāla and Jayalakṣaṇa
Signs of Victory
ऋक्षाश्न वानराश्नैव सप्तारण्या: स्मृता नृप । नरेश्वर! उपर्युक्त चौदह प्रकारके जरायुज प्राणियोंमें वनवासी पशु सात हैं और ग्रामवासी भी सात ही हैं। सिंह
ṛkṣāśn vānaraśn caiva saptāraṇyāḥ smṛtā nṛpa | nareśvara uparyukte caturdaśa-prakārake jarāyuje prāṇiṣu vanavāsinaḥ paśavaḥ sapta ca grāmavāsinaḥ saptaiva | siṃhaḥ vyāghraḥ varāhaḥ mahiṣaḥ gajaḥ ṛkṣaḥ vānaraś caite sapta vanavāsinaḥ paśavaḥ smṛtāḥ |
三阇耶说道：“大王，在上文所说的十四类胎生之属中，七类被视为林栖，七类被视为村居。狮、虎、野猪、水牛、象、熊与猿——这七种被记为居于森林的兽类。”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse primarily offers a traditional classification: among viviparous beings, certain animals are identified as forest-dwellers. Its broader lesson is the Mahābhārata’s tendency to systematize knowledge—naming and distinguishing beings according to habitat and nature—supporting clarity in discourse.
Sañjaya, speaking to the king (Dhṛtarāṣṭra), continues an enumerative explanation and specifies which seven animals are considered forest-dwelling: lion, tiger, boar, buffalo, elephant, bear, and monkey.