Shloka 2
Qualities of the Five Great Elements; Description of Sudarśana-dvīpa and Mount Meru
प्रमाणं च प्रमाणज्ञ पृथिव्याः किल सर्वतः । निखिलेन समाचक्ष्व काननानि च सत्तम
pramāṇaṃ ca pramāṇajña pṛthivyāḥ kila sarvataḥ | nikhilena samācakṣva kānanāni ca sattama
হে পরিমাপজ্ঞ, হে সজ্জনশ্রেষ্ঠ! সর্বদিক থেকে পৃথিবীর পরিমাণ (বিস্তার) সম্পূর্ণভাবে ও বিস্তারিতভাবে আমাকে বলুন, এবং তার অরণ্যসমূহেরও যথাযথ বর্ণনা করুন।
Unspecified interlocutor (a questioner addressing a learned sage)
Primary Rasa: adbhuta
Secondary Rasa: shanta
Type: forest
Sandhi Resolution Notes: प्रमाणज्ञ = प्रमाण + ज्ञ (षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः)। समाचक्ष्व = सम् + आ + चक्ष् (उपसर्ग-योगः)।
FAQs
The speaker asks a learned authority to describe the earth’s full extent (pramāṇa) in every direction and to detail its forests (kānanāni).
Purāṇas often treat forests as key markers of sacred and cultural landscapes—spaces tied to āśramas, pilgrimage routes, penance, and mythic events—so listing them supports a sacred-geographical map of the world.
It models disciplined inquiry: respectfully approaching a qualified knower (pramāṇajña) and requesting a complete, systematic explanation rather than partial or speculative information.