वैशम्पायन उवाच एवमुक्त्वा ययौ व्यासो धृतराष्ट्राय धीमते। धृतराष्ट्रोऽपि तच्छ्रुत्वा ध्यानमेवान्वपद्यत॥
Vaishampayana said Having thus spoken to Dhritarashtra Vyasa went away. Having heard these words, Dhritarashtra also reflected in silence.
स मुहूर्तमिव ध्यात्वा विनिःश्वस्य मुहुर्मुहुः। संजय संशितात्मानमपृच्छद् भरतर्षभ।॥
Having reflected for a moment, he sighed again and again. O foremost of the Bharata race, the king then thus spoke to the selfcontrolled Sanjaya.
संजयेमे महीपालाः शूरा युद्धाभिनन्दिनः। अन्योन्यमभिनिघ्नन्ति शस्त्रैरुच्चावचैरिह॥
Dhritarashtra said O Sanjaya, these kings, these rulers of carth, so brave and so cheerful in battle, are eager to strike one another with various kinds of weapon.
पार्थिवाः पृथिवीहेतोः समभित्यज्य जीवितम्। न वा शाम्यन्ति निघ्नन्तो वर्धयन्ति यमक्षयम्॥
They are not to be restrained. They striking one another and giving up their lives will increase the population of the abode of Yama.
भौममैश्वर्यमिच्छन्तो न मृष्यन्ते परस्परम्। मन्ये बहुगणा भूमिस्तन्ममाचक्ष्व संजय॥
Being desirous to obtain prosperity of earth, they cannot bear the sight of one another. I therefore think that the earth must possess many attributes. O Sanjaya, tell me all this.
बहूनि च सहस्राणि प्रयुतान्यर्बुदानि च। कोट्यश्च लोकवीराणां समेताः कुरुजाङ्गले॥
Many thousands, many millions, many tens of millions, many hundreds of millions of warriors have assembled at Kurukshetra.
देशानां च परीमाणं नगराणां च संजय। श्रोतुमिच्छामि तत्त्वेन यत एते समागताः॥
O Sanjaya, I desire to hear in great detail about the situations and dimensions of those countries and cities from which they have come.
दिव्यबुद्धिप्रदीपेन युक्तस्त्वं ज्ञानचक्षुषा। प्रभावात् तस्य विप्रर्व्यासस्यामिततेजसः॥
Through the grace of that immeasurably powerful Rishi Vyasa, you now possess the lamp of celestial vision and the eye of knowledge.
संजय उवाच यथाप्रज्ञं महाप्राज्ञ भौमान् वक्ष्यामि ते गुणान्। शास्त्रचक्षुरवेक्षस्व नमस्ते भरतर्षभ॥
Sanjaya said O greatly wise one, I shall narrate to you the merits of the earth according to my knowledge. See them with your eye of scriptural wisdom. O foremost of the Bharata race, I bow to you.
द्विविधानीह भूतानि चराणि स्थावराणि च। त्रसानां त्रिविधा योनिरण्डस्वेदजरायुजाः॥
Creatures in this world are of two kinds, namely mobile and immobile. Mobile creatures are three kinds, namely O viperous O viviparous O heat and damp produced.
त्रसानां खलु सर्वेषां श्रेष्ठा राजन् जरायुजाः। जरायुजानां प्रवरा मानवाः पशवश्च ये॥
O king, among mobile creatures, those that are viviparous are certainly the foremost. Among viviparous man is certainly the foremost, and next to man is animal.
नानारूपधरा राजेस्तेषां भेदाश्चतुर्दश। वेदोक्ताः पृथिवीपाल येषु यज्ञाः प्रतिष्ठिताः॥
O king, animals of various forms are of fourteen kinds. O king, O lord of earth, these fourteen are the domestic and wild animals mentioned in the Vedas and on which the sacrifice rests.
ग्राम्याणां पुरुषाः श्रेष्ठाः सिंहाश्चारण्यवासिनाम्। सर्वेषामेव भूतानामन्योन्येनोपजीवनम्॥
Among creatures that are domestic man is the foremost; lions are the foremost of all wild animals. All creatures keep themselves up by living upon one another.
उद्भिज्जाः स्थावराः प्रोक्तास्तेषां पञ्चैव जातयः। वृक्षगुल्मलतावल्लयस्त्वक्सारास्तृणाजातयः॥
The immovable are cailed Udbhijas. They have five species (Jati). These are-tree, shrub, creeper, plants (valli) and tvaksara (bamboo etc.). These all species are in the category (class) of straws.
तेषां विंशतिरेकोना महाभूतेषु पञ्चसु। चतुर्विंशतिरुद्दिष्टा गायत्री लोकसम्मता॥
Mobile and immobile creatures are thus of nineteen kinds. Their universal constituents are five. Thus they are twenty four in all. They are called Gayatri as is well known to all.
य एतां वेद गायत्री पुण्यां सर्वगुणान्विताम्। तत्त्वेन भरतश्रेष्ठ स लोके न प्रणश्यति॥
O best of the Bharata race, he who knows these to be the true sacred Gayatri which possesses every virtue, is not liable to worldly destruction.
अरण्यवासिनः सप्त सप्तैषां ग्रामवासिनः। सिंहा व्याघ्रा वराहाच महिषा वारणास्तथा॥
Seven are wild and seven domestic. O king, lions, tigers, boars, buffaloes, elephants, bears, and monkeys are wild.
ऋक्षाश्च वानराश्चैव सप्तारण्याः स्मृता नृप। गौरजाविमनुष्याश्च अश्वाश्वतरगर्दभाः॥ एते ग्राम्या: समाख्याताः पशवः सप्त साधुभिः। एते वै पशवो राजन् ग्राम्यारण्याश्चतुर्दश॥
) Cows, goats, sheep, men, horses, mules and donkey i.e. seven animals are considered to be domestic by the learned men. O king! Thus, the grand total of village dweller and forest dwellers (Vanavasi) is fourteen in number i.e. these are fourteen animals.
भूमौ च जायते सर्वं भूमौ सर्वं विनश्यति। भूमिः प्रतिष्ठा भूतानां भूमिरेव सनातनम्॥
Every thing rises from the earth and when destroyed every thing goes into her. The earth is the stay and the refuge of all creatures. The earth is eternal.
यस्य भूमिस्तस्य सर्वं जगत् स्थावरजङ्गमम्। तत्रातिगृद्धा राजानो विनिघ्नन्तीतरेतरम्॥
He who possesses the earth possesses the entire universe with its mobile and immobile creatures. It is for this kings long to possess the earth and thus kill one another.