Shloka 15
भूमिगुण-प्रश्नः
Inquiry into the qualities of Earth and the classification of beings
वृक्षै: पुष्पफलोपेतै: सम्पन्नधनधान्यवान् । लवणेन समुद्रेण समनन््तात् परिवारित:
sañjaya uvāca | vṛkṣaiḥ puṣpaphalopetaiḥ sampannadhanadhānyavān | lavaṇena samudreṇa samantāt parivāritaḥ ||
三阇耶说道：其地林木繁盛，花果具足，财宝与谷粮充盈。四面皆为咸海所围——宛如一方富庶而有序的国土；其自然之丰饶与疆界之安固，映照出理想世界的兴盛：由正法之治所护持，并与万物和谐相应。
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse presents an idealized vision of a flourishing world: abundance of nature (flowers, fruits), material sufficiency (wealth and grain), and clear boundaries (encirclement by the ocean). In Mahābhārata’s ethical imagination, such prosperity is typically associated with order, stability, and the conditions that righteous governance (dharma-aligned rule) is meant to protect.
Sañjaya is describing the world/land in elevated, cosmographic terms—emphasizing its richness and completeness. This functions as descriptive framing within Bhīṣma Parva, setting a grand backdrop for the events of the Kurukṣetra war by recalling the vast, ordered world in which the conflict unfolds.