Darshana.

 In the Mahābhārata, Sañjaya’s description of Bhārata-varṣa occurs mainly in the Bhīṣma Parva, chapters 6–16 (critical editions vary slightly). These chapters are collectively known as Bhārata-varṣa-varṇana—a sacred-geographical vision offered to the blind king Dhṛtarāṣṭra.

What follows is not merely a map, but a civilizational hymn.

1.  Why Sañjaya Describes Bhārata-varṣa

Before the war begins, Dhṛtarāṣṭra asks:

“What is this land called Bhārata, for whose sake my sons and the Pāṇḍavas stand ready to destroy one another?”

Sañjaya answers not with strategy, but with sacred geography—as if to remind the king that:

This land is too holy for fratricide

Every mountain and river is a silent witness

War here is not ordinary—it wounds Dharma itself

2. Bhārata-varṣa: A Karmabhūmi, Not Just a Country

Sañjaya begins with a defining statement:

“Bhārata-varṣa is that land where karma is performed,

and through karma alone beings attain heaven or liberation.”

Key ideas:

Bhārata-varṣa is Karma-bhūmi (land of action)

Other lands are Bhoga-bhūmis (lands of enjoyment)

Only here can one strive for mokṣa

This is the philosophical foundation of the description.

3. Natural Boundaries of Bhārata-varṣa

Mountains (Parvatas)

Sañjaya lists the great mountain ranges as guardians of the land:

The Himalayas

Described as:

Snow-clad

Abode of sages and gods

Source of sacred rivers

Residence of:

Siddhas

Gandharvas

Yakṣas

The Himalayas are the spine of Bhārata-varṣa

They are not obstacles but austere teachers

Other Mountains Mentioned

Vindhya

Pariyātra

Sahya (Western Ghats)

Mahendra

Malaya

Dardura

Śuktimān

Rikṣavat

Each mountain is linked with:

Tapas

Medicinal herbs

Sacred retreats (āśramas)

4. Rivers: The Living Deities of Bhārata-varṣa

Sañjaya gives a long and reverential list of rivers, treating them as moving goddesses.

Major Rivers

Gaṅgā

Yamunā

Sarasvatī

Sindhu

Sarasvatī (both manifest and hidden forms)

Godāvarī

Narmadā

Kṛṣṇā

Kāverī

Tāmrāparṇī

Payasvinī

Vetravatī

Śoṇa

Key insight:

Rivers purify sin

They support yajñas

They connect heaven and earth

Sañjaya implies that to fight upon such river-fed soil is to fight upon consecrated ground.

5. Regions and Peoples of Bhārata-varṣa

Sañjaya names numerous janapadas and regions, covering the entire subcontinent.

Northern Regions

Kurus

Pañcālas

Madrakas

Gandhāras

Kambojas

Eastern Regions

Aṅga

Vaṅga

Kaliṅga

Pundra

Southern Regions

Cholas

Pāṇḍyas

Keralas

Andhras

Drāviḍas

Western Regions

Śūrasenas

Matsyas

Saurāṣṭras

Abhīras

Sañjaya emphasizes:

Diversity of customs

Variety of languages

Yet one sacred rhythm of Dharma

6. Forests and Sacred Spaces

Bhārata-varṣa is described as āraṇyaka as much as nagarika.

Forests include:

Naimiśāraṇya

Daṇḍakāraṇya

Kāmyaka

Badarikāśrama regions

These are:

Seats of Vedic transmission

Places where kings become seekers

Spaces where ṛṣis preserve cosmic balance

7. Bhārata-varṣa as a Land of Yajña

Sañjaya repeatedly notes:

Continuous performance of sacrifices

Chanting of Vedas

Presence of learned Brāhmaṇas

The smoke of yajñas is said to rise constantly from this land.

This makes Bhārata-varṣa:

Spiritually vibrant

Cosmically aligned

8. A Silent Rebuke to Dhṛtarāṣṭra

Though Sañjaya never openly condemns the king, the description itself is a moral mirror.

The unspoken message:

“This land has produced Rāma, Ṛṣis, and Rājadharma”

“Can it now witness the blindness of a father becoming the blindness of a nation?”

Every mountain and river becomes a witness in the court of Dharma.

9. Vision Given to a Blind King

There is a deep irony:

Dhṛtarāṣṭra cannot see

Yet Sañjaya gives him the largest vision possible

Not the battlefield—but the entire sacred body of Bhārata

This suggests:

Physical blindness is not the greatest blindness

Ethical blindness is

10. Reflections.

Sañjaya’s description is not geography—it is a pilgrimage in words.

Bhārata-varṣa emerges as:

A living organism

A field of karma

A sacred trust handed down through ages

To wage war upon Bhārata-varṣa

is not merely to defeat enemies

but to wound the very land that teaches liberation.

 Select Sanskrit Verses and meaning

1. Bhārata-varṣa as Karma-bhūmi

उत्तरं यत् समुद्रस्य

हिमाद्रेश्चैव दक्षिणम् ।

वर्षं तद् भारतं नाम

भारती यत्र सन्ततिः ॥

Uttaraṁ yat samudrasya

himādreś caiva dakṣiṇam |

varṣaṁ tad bhārataṁ nāma

bhāratī yatra santatiḥ ||

That land which lies north of the ocean

and south of the Himālaya,

is known as Bhārata-varṣa,

where the descendants of Bharata dwell.

This is the definitive geographical and civilizational definition of Bhārata-varṣa.

2. Bhārata-varṣa — the Only Land of Spiritual Striving

अत्रैव कर्माणि कुर्वन्ति

पुण्यानि नरका॒णि च ।

अन्यत्र भोगभूमिर्हि

भारतं कर्मभूमिरुच्यते ॥

Here alone are actions of merit and demerit performed.

Elsewhere are lands of enjoyment,

but Bhārata alone is called the land of karma.

This verse establishes Bhārata-varṣa as unique among all worlds.

3. The Himalayas — Abode of Tapas

हिमवान् नाम नगाधिराजः

पुण्यः सिद्धनिषेवितः ।

नानौषधिसमायुक्तो

देवर्षिगणसेवितः ॥

The Himālaya, king of mountains,

is sacred, frequented by Siddhas,

rich in divine herbs,

and served by Devas and Ṛṣis.

Mountains are not inert—they are repositories of tapas.

4. Rivers as Living Purifiers

गङ्गा सरस्वती चैव

यमुना च महोदधिः ।

पुण्याः पावनयः सर्वाः

भारतस्य महोदधाः ॥

Gaṅgā, Sarasvatī, Yamunā and many others—

all sacred, all purifying—

flow across Bhārata-varṣa

like veins carrying life.

Rivers are seen as moving yajñas.

5. Diversity of Regions, Unity of Dharma

नानाजनपदाकीर्णं

नानावेषविभूषितम् ।

धर्मेणैकात्मना चैव

भारतं वर्षमुच्यते ॥

Filled with many kingdoms,

adorned with many customs and forms,

yet united by one soul of Dharma,

this land is called Bhārata-varṣa.

This verse beautifully expresses unity without uniformity.

6. The Silent Warning to Dhṛtarāṣṭra

एतद् देशवरं राजन्

न हन्तव्यं कदाचन ।

धर्मस्यायतनं ह्येतत्

नृणां स्वर्गापवर्गयोः ॥

O King, this supreme land

should never be destroyed,

for it is the abode of Dharma,

and the gateway to heaven and liberation.

“When the Land Spoke to the Blind King”

When Sañjaya spoke,

he did not describe armies—

he unfolded a land.

Snow listened in the Himalayas,

as if recalling ancient vows.

Rivers paused mid-flow,

wondering if blood would soon

dilute their sanctity.

“O King,” whispered the mountains,

“We have held sages longer

than your throne has held power.”

The forests remembered chants

older than your sons’ ambitions.

Ashrams exhaled smoke of yajña,

asking—for whom was this fire lit?

Bhārata did not cry aloud.

She only stood—

with rivers as veins,

mountains as bones,

Dharma as breath.

And the blind king heard it all—

yet saw nothing.

Bhārata-varṣa is not a land we inherit;

it is a sacred body we are permitted to walk upon—

only as long as we remember why it exists.