Vamana Purana — Structure of Jambudvipa, Shloka 44

The Structure of Jambudvipa: Nine Varshas, Navadvipa Bharata, Mountains, Rivers, and Peoples

Devanagari script

अङ्गा वङ्गा मुद्गरवास्त्वन्तर्गिरिबहिर्गिराः तथा प्रवङ्गा वाङ्गेया मांसादा बलदन्तिकाः

Transliteration

aṅgā vaṅgā mudgaravāstvantargiribahirgirāḥ tathā pravaṅgā vāṅgeyā māṃsādā baladantikāḥ

Translation

অঙ্গ, বঙ্গ ও মুদ্গরব; অন্তর্গিরি ও বহির্গিরিতে বসবাসকারী; তদ্রূপ প্রবঙ্গ, বাঙ্গেয়, মাংসাদ ও বলদন্তিক (জনগোষ্ঠী)।

Word by Word

• अङ्गाः: the Aṅgas
• अङ्गाः: Karta (कर्ता/Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अङ्ग (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), बहुवचन

• वङ्गाः: the Vaṅgas
• वङ्गाः: Karta (कर्ता/Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वङ्ग (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), बहुवचन

• मुद्गरवाः: the Mudgaravas
• मुद्गरवाः: Karta (कर्ता/Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मुद्गरव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), बहुवचन

• तु: and/but
• तु: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/Particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (particle; contrast/emphasis ‘but/indeed’)

• अन्तर्गिरिबहिर्गिराः: the Antargiris and Bahirgiris
• अन्तर्गिरिबहिर्गिराः: Karta (कर्ता/Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अन्तर्गिरि (प्रातिपदिक) + बहिर्गिरि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), बहुवचन; समासः—द्वन्द्वः (copulative: ‘inner-mountain and outer-mountain [people]’)

• तथा: likewise
• तथा: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/Adverbial)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तथा (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (adverb ‘likewise/also’)

• प्रवङ्गाः: the Pravaṅgas
• प्रवङ्गाः: Karta (कर्ता/Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्रवङ्ग (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), बहुवचन

• वाङ्गेयाः: the Vāṅgeyas
• वाङ्गेयाः: Karta (कर्ता/Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वाङ्गेय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), बहुवचन

• मांसादाः: the Māṃsādas (meat-eaters)
• मांसादाः: Karta (कर्ता/Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मांस (प्रातिपदिक) + अद (धातु) → आद (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), बहुवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुषः (उपपद-तत्पुरुषः: ‘meat-eaters’)

• बलदन्तिकाः: the Baladantikas
• बलदन्तिकाः: Karta (कर्ता/Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: बल (प्रातिपदिक) + दन्तिक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), बहुवचन; समासः—कर्मधारयः (‘strong-tusked/strong-toothed’ as a name)

Speakers

• Pulastya to Nārada (typical frame; specific speaker not explicit in the given excerpt)

Key Themes

• Sacred Geography
• Ethnography
• Regional Nomenclature

Verse Rasa (Emotional Flavour)

{ "primaryRasa": "shanta", "secondaryRasa": "adbhuta", "rasaIntensity": 0, "emotionalArcPosition": "", "moodDescriptors": [] }

FAQs

What is the philosophical or ethical takeaway?

The verse reinforces inclusivity of the Purāṇic world-map: plains, riverine kingdoms, and hill peoples are all accounted for within a single civilizational memory, often relevant for tīrtha circuits and political geography.

How does this fit the Pancalakshana?

Cosmographical/topographical description (commonly aligned with sarga-type descriptive material), serving as a supporting layer to the Purāṇa’s broader narrative aims.

What is the symbolic significance?

The inner/outer mountain distinction encodes a graded spatial imagination—center and periphery—typical of Purāṇic ethnography, mapping cultural distance without necessarily making a theological claim in this passage.