bhadrāśvaṁ ketumālaṁ ca
bhārataṁ cottarān kurūn
kimpuruṣādīni varṣāṇi
vijitya jagṛhe balim
bhārataṁ cottarān kurūn
kimpuruṣādīni varṣāṇi
vijitya jagṛhe balim
Synonyms
bhadrāśvam-Bhadrāśva; ketumālam-Ketumāla; ca-also; bhāratam-Bhārata; ca-and; uttarān-the northern countries; kurūn-the kingdom of the Kuru dynasty; kimpuruṣa-ādīni-a country beyond the northern side of the Himalayas; varṣāṇi-parts of the earth planet; vijitya-conquering; jagṛhe-exacted; balim-strength.
Mahārāja Parīkṣit then conquered all parts of the earthly planet-Bhadrāśva, Ketumāla, Bhārata, the northern Kuru, Kimpuruṣa, etc.-and exacted tributes from their respective rulers.
Bhadrāśva: It is an island near Meru Parvata. There is a description of this island in the Mahābhārata (Bhīṣma parva 7.16-18). The description was narrated by Sañjaya to Dhṛtarāṣṭra.
Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhira also conquered this island, and thus the province was included within the jurisdiction of his empire. Mahārāja Parīkṣit was formerly declared to be the emperor of all lands ruled by his grandfather, but still he had to establish his supremacy while he was out of his capital to exact tribute from such states.
Ketumāla: This earth planet is divided into seven parts, and according to others it is divided into nine parts. This earth is called Jambūdvīpa and is divided into nine varṣas. Bhārata-varṣa is one of the above mentioned nine varṣas. Such varṣas are known as continents in the modern geographical context. Ketumāla is described as one of the above varṣas. It is said that in this varṣa, women are the most beautiful. This varṣa was conquered by Arjuna also. A description of this part of the world is available in the Mahābhārata (Sabhā Parva 286.32-33).
It is said that this part of the world is situated on the western side of the Meru Parvata, and the inhabitants of this province used to live up to ten thousands of years (Bhīṣma Parva 6.16.31-32). Human beings living in this part of the globe are of golden color, and the women resemble the angels of heaven. The inhabitants are free from all kinds of diseases and grief.
Bhārata-varṣa: This part of the world is also one of the nine varṣas of the Jambūdvīpa, or earthly planet. Each planet is also sometimes called a dvīpa because of its being an island in the fathomless outer space. Each planet is factually an island in the airy ocean of outer space. Jambūdvīpa is only one of such countless islands in this airy ocean of space. A description of Bhārata-varṣa is given in the Mahābhārata (Bhīṣma Parva, Chapters 9-10).
Uttarāḥ: According to Śrīdhara Svāmī these parts of the world are called Ilāvṛta-varṣa, or the mediterranean countries of Europe. The description of the Ilāvṛta-varṣa is given in the Mahābhārata (Sabhā Parva 28.7-8) as follows:
nagarāṁś ca vanāṁś caiva
nadīś ca vimalodakāḥ
puruṣān deva-kalpāṁś ca
nārīś ca priya-darśanāḥ
adṛṣṭa-pūrvān subhagān
sa dadarśa dhanañjayaḥ
sadanāni ca śubhrāṇi
nārīś cāpsarasāṁ nibhāḥ
It is twice mentioned here that the women are beautiful, and some of them are equal to the apsarās, or heavenly women. Therefore the countries mentioned are round about the Mediterranean coast.
Kimpuruṣa-varṣa: It is stated to be situated beyond the northern side of Darjelling Dhavala Giri and probably may be a country like Nepal, Bhutan, Tibet and China. These parts of the world were also conquered by Arjuna (Sabhā Parva 28.1-2). The Kimpuruṣas are descendants of the daughter of Dakṣa. When Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhira performed a horse sacrifice, the inhabitants of these countries were also present to take part in the festival, and they paid tributes to the Emperor. This part of the world is called Kimpuruṣa-varṣa, or sometimes the Himalayan provinces (Himavatī). It is said that Śukadeva Gosvāmī was born in these Himalayan provinces, and he came to Bhārata-varṣa after crossing the Himalayan countries.
In other words, Mahārāja Parīkṣit conquered all the world, namely all the continents adjoining all the seas and oceans in all directions, namely the eastern, western, northern and southern parts of the world.
TEXTS 13-15
tatra tatropaśṛṇvānaḥ
sva-pūrveṣāṁ mahātmanām
pragīyamāṇaṁ ca yaśaḥ
kṛṣṇa-māhātmya-sūcakam
ātmānaṁ ca paritrātam
aśvatthāmno 'stra-tejasaḥ
snehaṁ ca vṛṣṇi-pārthānāṁ
teṣāṁ bhaktiṁ ca keśave
tebhyaḥ parama-santuṣṭaḥ
prīty-ujjṛmbhita-locanaḥ
mahā-dhanāni vāsāṁsi
dadau hārān mahā-manāḥ
SYNONYMS
tatra tatra-everywhere the King visited; upaśṛṇvānaḥ-continuously he heard; sva-pūrveṣām-about his own forefathers; mahā-ātmanām-who were all great devotees of the Lord; pragīyamāṇam-unto those who were thus addressing; ca-also; yaśaḥ-glories; kṛṣṇa-Lord Kṛṣṇa; māhātmya-glorious acts; sūcakam-indicating; ātmānam-his personal self; ca-also; paritrātam-delivered; aśvatthāmnaḥ-of Aśvatthāmā; astra-weapon; tejasaḥ-powerful rays; sneham-affection; ca-also; vṛṣṇi-pārthānām-between descendants of Vṛṣṇi and those of Pṛthā; teṣām-of all of them; bhaktim-devotion; ca-also; keśave-unto Lord Kṛṣṇa; tebhyaḥ-unto them; parama-extremely; santuṣṭaḥ-pleased; prīti-attraction; ujjṛmbhita-pleasingly open; locanaḥ-one who has such eyes; mahā-dhanāni-valuable riches; vāsāṁsi-clothing; dadau-gave in charity; hārān-necklace; mahā-manāḥ-one who has a broader outlook.
Wherever the King visited, he continuously heard the glories of his great forefathers, who were all devotees of the Lord, and also of the glorious acts of Lord Kṛṣṇa. He also heard how he himself had been protected by the Lord from the powerful heat of the weapon of Aśvatthāmā. People also mentioned the great affection between the descendants of Vṛṣṇi and Pṛthā due to the latter's great devotion to Lord Keśava. The King, being very pleased with the singers of such glories, opened his eyes in great satisfaction. Out of magnanimity he was pleased to award them very valuable necklaces and clothing.
Kings and great personalities of the state are presented with welcome addresses. This is a system from time immemorial, and Mahārāja Parīkṣit, since he was one of the well-known emperors of the world, was also presented with addresses of welcome in all parts of the world as he visited those places. The subject matter of those welcome addresses was Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa means Kṛṣṇa and His eternal devotees, as the king means the king and his confidential associates.
Kṛṣṇa and His unalloyed devotees cannot be separated, and therefore glorifying the devotee means glorifying the Lord and vice versa. Mahārāja Parīkṣit would not have been glad to hear about the glories of his forefathers like Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhira and Arjuna had they not been connected with the acts of Lord Kṛṣṇa. The Lord descends specifically to deliver His devotees (paritrāṇāya sādhūnām [Bg. 4.8]). The devotees are glorified by the presence of the Lord because they cannot live for a moment without the presence of the Lord and His different energies. The Lord is present for the devotee by His acts and glories, and therefore Mahārāja Parīkṣit felt the presence of the Lord when He was glorified by His acts, especially when he was saved by the Lord in the womb of his mother. The devotees of the Lord are never in danger, but in the material world which is full of dangers at every step, the devotees are apparently placed into dangerous positions, and when they are saved by the Lord, the Lord is glorified. Lord Kṛṣṇa would not have been glorified as the speaker of the Bhagavad-gītā had His devotees like the Pāṇḍavas not been entangled in the Battlefield of Kurukṣetra. All such acts of the Lord were mentioned in the addresses of welcome, and Mahārāja Parīkṣit, in full satisfaction, rewarded those who presented such addresses. The difference between the presentation of welcome addresses today and in those days is that formerly the welcome addresses were presented to a person like Mahārāja Parīkṣit. The welcome addresses were full of facts and figures, and those who presented such addresses were sufficiently rewarded, whereas in the present days the welcome addresses are presented not always with factual statements but to please the postholder, and often they are full of flattering lies. And rarely are those who present such welcome addresses rewarded by the poor receiver.
Mahārāja Parīkṣit then conquered all parts of the earthly planet-Bhadrāśva, Ketumāla, Bhārata, the northern Kuru, Kimpuruṣa, etc.-and exacted tributes from their respective rulers.
Bhadrāśva: It is an island near Meru Parvata. There is a description of this island in the Mahābhārata (Bhīṣma parva 7.16-18). The description was narrated by Sañjaya to Dhṛtarāṣṭra.
Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhira also conquered this island, and thus the province was included within the jurisdiction of his empire. Mahārāja Parīkṣit was formerly declared to be the emperor of all lands ruled by his grandfather, but still he had to establish his supremacy while he was out of his capital to exact tribute from such states.
Ketumāla: This earth planet is divided into seven parts, and according to others it is divided into nine parts. This earth is called Jambūdvīpa and is divided into nine varṣas. Bhārata-varṣa is one of the above mentioned nine varṣas. Such varṣas are known as continents in the modern geographical context. Ketumāla is described as one of the above varṣas. It is said that in this varṣa, women are the most beautiful. This varṣa was conquered by Arjuna also. A description of this part of the world is available in the Mahābhārata (Sabhā Parva 286.32-33).
It is said that this part of the world is situated on the western side of the Meru Parvata, and the inhabitants of this province used to live up to ten thousands of years (Bhīṣma Parva 6.16.31-32). Human beings living in this part of the globe are of golden color, and the women resemble the angels of heaven. The inhabitants are free from all kinds of diseases and grief.
Bhārata-varṣa: This part of the world is also one of the nine varṣas of the Jambūdvīpa, or earthly planet. Each planet is also sometimes called a dvīpa because of its being an island in the fathomless outer space. Each planet is factually an island in the airy ocean of outer space. Jambūdvīpa is only one of such countless islands in this airy ocean of space. A description of Bhārata-varṣa is given in the Mahābhārata (Bhīṣma Parva, Chapters 9-10).
Uttarāḥ: According to Śrīdhara Svāmī these parts of the world are called Ilāvṛta-varṣa, or the mediterranean countries of Europe. The description of the Ilāvṛta-varṣa is given in the Mahābhārata (Sabhā Parva 28.7-8) as follows:
nagarāṁś ca vanāṁś caiva
nadīś ca vimalodakāḥ
puruṣān deva-kalpāṁś ca
nārīś ca priya-darśanāḥ
adṛṣṭa-pūrvān subhagān
sa dadarśa dhanañjayaḥ
sadanāni ca śubhrāṇi
nārīś cāpsarasāṁ nibhāḥ
It is twice mentioned here that the women are beautiful, and some of them are equal to the apsarās, or heavenly women. Therefore the countries mentioned are round about the Mediterranean coast.
Kimpuruṣa-varṣa: It is stated to be situated beyond the northern side of Darjelling Dhavala Giri and probably may be a country like Nepal, Bhutan, Tibet and China. These parts of the world were also conquered by Arjuna (Sabhā Parva 28.1-2). The Kimpuruṣas are descendants of the daughter of Dakṣa. When Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhira performed a horse sacrifice, the inhabitants of these countries were also present to take part in the festival, and they paid tributes to the Emperor. This part of the world is called Kimpuruṣa-varṣa, or sometimes the Himalayan provinces (Himavatī). It is said that Śukadeva Gosvāmī was born in these Himalayan provinces, and he came to Bhārata-varṣa after crossing the Himalayan countries.
In other words, Mahārāja Parīkṣit conquered all the world, namely all the continents adjoining all the seas and oceans in all directions, namely the eastern, western, northern and southern parts of the world.
TEXTS 13-15
tatra tatropaśṛṇvānaḥ
sva-pūrveṣāṁ mahātmanām
pragīyamāṇaṁ ca yaśaḥ
kṛṣṇa-māhātmya-sūcakam
ātmānaṁ ca paritrātam
aśvatthāmno 'stra-tejasaḥ
snehaṁ ca vṛṣṇi-pārthānāṁ
teṣāṁ bhaktiṁ ca keśave
tebhyaḥ parama-santuṣṭaḥ
prīty-ujjṛmbhita-locanaḥ
mahā-dhanāni vāsāṁsi
dadau hārān mahā-manāḥ
SYNONYMS
tatra tatra-everywhere the King visited; upaśṛṇvānaḥ-continuously he heard; sva-pūrveṣām-about his own forefathers; mahā-ātmanām-who were all great devotees of the Lord; pragīyamāṇam-unto those who were thus addressing; ca-also; yaśaḥ-glories; kṛṣṇa-Lord Kṛṣṇa; māhātmya-glorious acts; sūcakam-indicating; ātmānam-his personal self; ca-also; paritrātam-delivered; aśvatthāmnaḥ-of Aśvatthāmā; astra-weapon; tejasaḥ-powerful rays; sneham-affection; ca-also; vṛṣṇi-pārthānām-between descendants of Vṛṣṇi and those of Pṛthā; teṣām-of all of them; bhaktim-devotion; ca-also; keśave-unto Lord Kṛṣṇa; tebhyaḥ-unto them; parama-extremely; santuṣṭaḥ-pleased; prīti-attraction; ujjṛmbhita-pleasingly open; locanaḥ-one who has such eyes; mahā-dhanāni-valuable riches; vāsāṁsi-clothing; dadau-gave in charity; hārān-necklace; mahā-manāḥ-one who has a broader outlook.
Wherever the King visited, he continuously heard the glories of his great forefathers, who were all devotees of the Lord, and also of the glorious acts of Lord Kṛṣṇa. He also heard how he himself had been protected by the Lord from the powerful heat of the weapon of Aśvatthāmā. People also mentioned the great affection between the descendants of Vṛṣṇi and Pṛthā due to the latter's great devotion to Lord Keśava. The King, being very pleased with the singers of such glories, opened his eyes in great satisfaction. Out of magnanimity he was pleased to award them very valuable necklaces and clothing.
Kings and great personalities of the state are presented with welcome addresses. This is a system from time immemorial, and Mahārāja Parīkṣit, since he was one of the well-known emperors of the world, was also presented with addresses of welcome in all parts of the world as he visited those places. The subject matter of those welcome addresses was Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa means Kṛṣṇa and His eternal devotees, as the king means the king and his confidential associates.
Kṛṣṇa and His unalloyed devotees cannot be separated, and therefore glorifying the devotee means glorifying the Lord and vice versa. Mahārāja Parīkṣit would not have been glad to hear about the glories of his forefathers like Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhira and Arjuna had they not been connected with the acts of Lord Kṛṣṇa. The Lord descends specifically to deliver His devotees (paritrāṇāya sādhūnām [Bg. 4.8]). The devotees are glorified by the presence of the Lord because they cannot live for a moment without the presence of the Lord and His different energies. The Lord is present for the devotee by His acts and glories, and therefore Mahārāja Parīkṣit felt the presence of the Lord when He was glorified by His acts, especially when he was saved by the Lord in the womb of his mother. The devotees of the Lord are never in danger, but in the material world which is full of dangers at every step, the devotees are apparently placed into dangerous positions, and when they are saved by the Lord, the Lord is glorified. Lord Kṛṣṇa would not have been glorified as the speaker of the Bhagavad-gītā had His devotees like the Pāṇḍavas not been entangled in the Battlefield of Kurukṣetra. All such acts of the Lord were mentioned in the addresses of welcome, and Mahārāja Parīkṣit, in full satisfaction, rewarded those who presented such addresses. The difference between the presentation of welcome addresses today and in those days is that formerly the welcome addresses were presented to a person like Mahārāja Parīkṣit. The welcome addresses were full of facts and figures, and those who presented such addresses were sufficiently rewarded, whereas in the present days the welcome addresses are presented not always with factual statements but to please the postholder, and often they are full of flattering lies. And rarely are those who present such welcome addresses rewarded by the poor receiver.