06.005
Vaiśampāyana spoke:
After saying this, Vyasa went to the wise Dhritarashtra. Upon hearing this, Dhritarashtra too engaged in meditation.
He paused as if in meditation for a moment, sighed repeatedly, and then asked Sanjaya with determination, 'O best of the Bharatas.'
O Sanjaya, these valiant kings, who delight in battle, are attacking each other with various weapons.
The kings, in their quest for dominion over the earth, willingly sacrifice their lives, never ceasing in their efforts, as they continue to kill and expand the realm of death.
Desiring earthly prosperity, they cannot tolerate each other. I believe the earth possesses many qualities. Please tell me about it, Sanjaya.
Many thousands, millions, and crores of heroes from around the world gathered in the Kuru field.
O Sanjaya, I wish to truly understand the extent of the countries and cities because these have gathered.
You are endowed with divine intellect and the eye of knowledge by the grace of the sage Vyasa, who possesses immeasurable splendor.
Sanjaya said:
O great wise one, I will describe your earthly qualities as per wisdom. Please observe them with the insight of the scriptures. Salutations to you, O best of the Bharatas.
In this world, there are two types of beings: those that move and those that do not. Among the moving beings, there are three kinds of origins: those born from eggs, those born from sweat, and those born from the womb.
O king, among all living beings, those born from a womb are considered the best, and among them, humans and animals are the foremost.
They bear various forms and are divided into fourteen types: seven are forest dwellers and seven are village dwellers.
O king, lions, tigers, boars, buffaloes, elephants, bears, and monkeys are considered the seven types of forests.
The wise have identified seven types of domestic animals: cow-born, humans, sheep, horses, mules, and donkeys.
O King, these are the fourteen animals, both domestic and wild, as mentioned in the Vedas, in which the sacrifices are established, O protector of the earth.
Among the villagers, the man is considered the best, while among the forest dwellers, it is the lion. All beings, indeed, sustain themselves through mutual coexistence.
The immovable beings that sprout are said to have five kinds: trees, shrubs, creepers, vines, and grass species.
Among these, in the five great elements, twenty-four is mentioned as the Gāyatrī, which is accepted by the world.
O best of the Bharatas, one who truly understands this sacred Gāyatrī, which is endowed with all virtues, will never perish in any world.
Indeed, everything is born on the earth and everything perishes on it. The earth is the foundation of all beings and is their ultimate refuge.
The entire world, both movable and immovable, belongs to the one who owns the land. There, greedy kings fight and kill each other.
