Shloka 5

Brahmāṇḍa-Āvaraṇa Nirūpaṇa, Virajā-Setu, and Prākṛta–Vaikṛta Sṛṣṭi

Devanagari script

तदूर्ध्वमण्ववयवस्तावान्कनकरूपकः / वर्तते तत ऊर्ध्वं तु पञ्चाशत्कोटिभूतलम्

Transliteration

tadūrdhvamaṇvavayavastāvānkanakarūpakaḥ / vartate tata ūrdhvaṃ tu pañcāśatkoṭibhūtalam

Translation

وفوق ذلك تمتدُّ منطقةٌ مؤلَّفة من أجزاءٍ دقيقةٍ بالقدر نفسه، متخذةً هيئةَ الذهب؛ وفوقها أيضًا تقع سَعةُ الأرض بمقدار خمسين كروْرًا (من الوحدات).

Word by Word

• तत्: from that
• तत्: Apadana (अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter (नपुंसकलिङ्ग), Ablative (5th/पञ्चमी), Singular (एकवचन)

• ऊर्ध्वम्: upwards/above
• ऊर्ध्वम्: Adhikarana (अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ūrdhva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Avyaya (अव्यय), adverb (क्रियाविशेषण)

• अणु-अवयवः: the part of an atom
• अणु-अवयवः: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: aṇu + avayava (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular (एकवचन); षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष/सम्बन्धः (aṇoḥ avayavaḥ)

• तावान्: so much/that large
• तावान्: Visheshana (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: tāvat (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular (एकवचन); pramāṇa-vācaka (परिमाणवाचक)

• कनक-रूपकः: a golden form/figure
• कनक-रूपकः: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kanaka + rūpaka (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular (एकवचन); षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (kanakasya rūpakaḥ)

• वर्तते: exists/extends
• वर्तते: Kriya (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: vṛt (धातु)
• Form: Present tense (लट्), 3rd person (प्रथमपुरुष), Singular (एकवचन), Ātmanepada (आत्मनेपद)

• ततः: thereafter/from there
• ततः: Apadana (अपादान)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tatas (अव्यय-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Avyaya (अव्यय), adverb (क्रियाविशेषण)

• ऊर्ध्वम्: above
• ऊर्ध्वम्: Adhikarana (अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ūrdhva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Avyaya (अव्यय), adverb (क्रियाविशेषण)

• तु: but/indeed
• तु: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tu (अव्यय)
• Form: Avyaya (अव्यय), particle (निपात), contrast/emphasis

• पञ्चाशत्-कोटि-भूतलम्: a ground/extent of fifty crores
• पञ्चाशत्-कोटि-भूतलम्: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pañcāśat + koṭi + bhūtala (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter (नपुंसकलिङ्ग), Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular (एकवचन); संख्या-सम्बन्ध-तत्पुरुष (pañcāśat-koṭīnāṃ bhūtalam)

Speaker

Lord Vishnu (narrating to Garuda)

Philosophical Teaching

Concept: Reality is presented as graded layers from subtle to gross; ‘golden form’ signals luminous intermediary realms between subtle principles and earthly plane.

Vedantic Theme: Sūkṣma–sthūla gradation within māyā; the cosmos as ordered manifestation supporting embodied experience and karmic action.

Application: Contemplate subtle-to-gross layering to refine perception: cultivate sattva (clarity) and reduce fixation on only the gross/material.

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: adbhuta

Secondary Rasa: shanta

Geographic Context

Type: cosmic strata

Cross References

Related Themes: Garuda Purana descriptions of lokas and cosmic layers contiguous with āvaraṇa teaching

Characters & Entities

• Vishnu
• Garuda

FAQs

What is the importance of the 'golden' region (kanaka-rūpaka) in Garuda Purana?

This verse uses a 'golden-formed' region to map layered cosmic structure—subtle strata above one level and a broader earth-plane above—helping the listener visualize graded realms of existence.

How does this verse explain the structure of worlds (lokas) in Garuda Purana?

It presents a vertical layering: above a prior level lies a subtle, minute-constituent region of comparable extent, and above that a vast bhūtalam quantified as fifty crores, indicating cosmographic measurement and hierarchy.

Practical application of this wisdom today?

Treat the Purana’s cosmology as a reminder of scale and order: live with humility, align actions with dharma, and use sacred study to orient the mind beyond purely material concerns.