Srimad Bhagavatam — Panchama Skandha, Shloka 3
The Six Dvīpas Beyond Jambūdvīpa and the Cosmic Boundary of Lokāloka
शिवं यवसं सुभद्रं शान्तं क्षेमममृतमभयमिति वर्षाणि तेषु गिरयो नद्यश्च सप्तैवाभिज्ञाता: ॥ ३ ॥ मणिकूटो वज्रकूट इन्द्रसेनो ज्योतिष्मान् सुपर्णो हिरण्यष्ठीवो मेघमाल इति सेतुशैला: । अरुणा नृम्णाऽऽङ्गिरसी सावित्री सुप्तभाता ऋतम्भरा सत्यम्भरा इति महानद्य: । यासां जलोपस्पर्शनविधूतरजस्तमसो हंसपतङ्गोर्ध्वायनसत्याङ्गसंज्ञाश्चत्वारो वर्णा: सहस्रायुषो विबुधोपमसन्दर्शनप्रजनना: स्वर्गद्वारं त्रय्या विद्यया भगवन्तं त्रयीमयं सूर्यमात्मानं यजन्ते ॥ ४ ॥
śivaṁ yavasaṁ subhadraṁ śāntaṁ kṣemam amṛtam abhayam iti varṣāṇi teṣu girayo nadyaś ca saptaivābhijñātāḥ; maṇikūṭo vajrakūṭa indraseno jyotiṣmān suparṇo hiraṇyaṣṭhīvo meghamāla iti setu-śailāḥ aruṇā nṛmṇāṅgirasī sāvitrī suptabhātā ṛtambharā satyambharā iti mahā-nadyaḥ; yāsāṁ jalopasparśana-vidhūta-rajas-tamaso haṁsa-pataṅgordhvāyana-satyāṅga-saṁjñāś catvāro varṇāḥ sahasrāyuṣo vibudhopama-sandarśana-prajananāḥ svarga-dvāraṁ trayyā vidyayā bhagavantaṁ trayīmayaṁ sūryam ātmānaṁ yajante.
Die sieben Varṣas (Inselgebiete) tragen die Namen jener sieben Söhne: Śiva, Yavasa, Subhadra, Śānta, Kṣema, Amṛta und Abhaya. In diesen sieben Landstrichen sind sieben Berge und sieben Flüsse bekannt. Die Berge heißen Maṇikūṭa, Vajrakūṭa, Indrasena, Jyotiṣmān, Suparṇa, Hiraṇyaṣṭhīva und Meghamāla; die Flüsse Aruṇā, Nṛmṇā, Āṅgirasī, Sāvitrī, Suptabhātā, Ṛtambharā und Satyambharā. Durch Berührung oder Bad in ihren Wassern wird die Verunreinigung von rajas und tamas sogleich fortgenommen; so reinigen sich die vier Varṇas von Plakṣadvīpa—Haṁsa, Pataṅga, Ūrdhvāyana und Satyāṅga. Sie leben tausend Jahre, sind schön wie die Devas und zeugen Nachkommen wie die Devas; indem sie die vedischen Riten vollständig vollziehen und den Bhagavān verehren, der sich als Sonnengott offenbart, gelangen sie nach Sūrya-loka, der himmlischen Wohnstatt der Sonne.
According to general understanding, there are originally three deities — Lord Brahmā, Lord Viṣṇu and Lord Śiva — and people with a poor fund of knowledge consider Lord Viṣṇu no better than Lord Brahmā or Lord Śiva. This conclusion, however, is invalid. As stated in the Vedas, iṣṭāpūrtaṁ bahudhā jāyamānaṁ viśvaṁ bibharti bhuvanasya nābhiḥ tad evāgnis tad vāyus tat sūryas tad u candramāḥ agniḥ sarvadaivataḥ. This means that the Supreme Lord, who accepts and enjoys the results of Vedic ritualistic ceremonies (technically called iṣṭāpūrta ), who maintains the entire creation, who supplies the necessities of all living entities ( eko bahūnāṁ yo vidadhāti kāmān ) and who is the central point of all creation, is Lord Viṣṇu. Lord Viṣṇu expands as the demigods known as Agni, Vāyu, Sūrya and Candra, who are simply parts and parcels of His body. Lord Kṛṣṇa says in Śrīmad Bhagavad-gītā (9.23):
FAQs
It lists seven varṣas (Śiva through Abhaya) along with seven boundary mountains and seven great rivers, describing their sacred, purifying influence and the worship practiced by the inhabitants.
To present the Bhagavatam’s Vedic cosmology and show how creation supports dharma—where sacred places and pure waters elevate consciousness and direct beings toward worship of the Supreme Lord.
Seek purification of rajas and tamas through sāttvika habits—cleanliness, sacred remembrance, and regulated worship—seeing God’s presence in nature (like the sun) while keeping devotion centered on the Supreme Lord.