Shanti Parva Adhyaya 336 Shloka 9 - Mahabharata | Chinese | Vedapath

Vyasa

Shloka 9

एकान्तिधर्म-प्रश्नः (Inquiry into Ekāntin Dharma) / The Origin and Practice of Single-Pointed Nārāyaṇa-Centered Discipline

Devanagari script

मेरो: सहस्रै: स हि योजनानां द्वात्रिंशतोर्थ्व कविभिरननिरुक्त: | अनिन्द्रियाश्ञानशनाश्न तत्र निष्पन्दहीना: सुसुगन्धिनस्ते

Transliteration

Meruḥ sahasraiḥ sa hi yojanānāṃ dvātriṃśad-ūrdhvaḥ kavibhir ananiruktaḥ | anindriyāś cānāśanāś ca tatra niṣpanda-hīnāḥ su-sugandhinaś te ||

Translation

那罗陀说道：在他们面前，显现出一座宏大的岛屿，名闻于世，称为“白岛”（Śveta），位于乳海之北。诸圣贤说，此岛高出须弥山三万二千由旬。居于其上的众生，据说超越诸根之境，不需饮食，无有躁动之行——却具真实智慧；其身恒常散发清妙芬芳。

Word by Word

मेरोःof Meru

सहस्रैःby thousands

सःthat/he

हिindeed

योजनानाम्of yojanas

द्वात्रिंशतःfrom thirty-two (i.e., exceeding by 32 thousand, contextually)

ऊर्ध्वम्upwards; higher

कविभिःby sages/poets

अननिरुक्तःundescribed; not expressible (lit. not stated)

अनिन्द्रियाःwithout senses

अश्नानशनाःnot eating (food); fasting

तत्रthere

निष्पन्दहीनाःdevoid of motion; motionless

सुसुगन्धिनःvery fragrant

तेthey/those (people)

Speaker

नारद उवाच

Characters & Entities

Nārada

Śveta-dvīpa

Kṣīra-sāgara (Ocean of Milk)

Mount Meru

kavi (sages/learned seers)

residents of Śveta-dvīpa

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse presents an ideal of purified existence: freedom from sensory compulsion, craving for food, and restless activity, while remaining established in knowledge. Ethically, it points toward restraint, inner stillness, and wisdom as marks of higher life.

What is happening in the narrative?

Nārada describes a visionary geography: the appearance of the great Śveta-dvīpa in the northern part of the Ocean of Milk, its immense height relative to Meru, and the extraordinary qualities of its inhabitants.