Kurma Purana — Purva Bhaga, Shloka 14
Bhūrloka-Vyavasthā — The Seven Dvīpas, Seven Oceans, and the Meru-Centered Order of Jambūdvīpa
मेरोश्चतुर्दिशं तत्र नवसाहस्त्रविस्तृतम् / इलावृतं महाभागाश्चात्वारस्तत्र पर्वताः / विष्कम्भा रचिता मेरोर्योजनायुतमुच्छ्रिताः
meroścaturdiśaṃ tatra navasāhastravistṛtam / ilāvṛtaṃ mahābhāgāścātvārastatra parvatāḥ / viṣkambhā racitā meroryojanāyutamucchritāḥ
Dort, rings um den Berg Meru an seinen vier Seiten, breitet sich Ilāvṛta über neuntausend Yojanas aus. In jener Gegend, o Edle, stehen vier Berge als Stützpfeiler Merus, und jeder erhebt sich auf zehntausend Yojanas Höhe.
Sūta (narrating to the sages at Naimiṣāraṇya)
Primary Rasa: adbhuta
Secondary Rasa: vira
FAQs
This verse is primarily cosmographical rather than directly metaphysical; it frames the world-order around Meru as a structured, intelligible cosmos—often used in Purāṇas as a contemplative support for seeing creation as governed by Īśvara’s ordinance (niyati).
No explicit yoga practice is taught in this verse; however, Purāṇic sacred geography commonly functions as a dhyāna-aid—visualizing Meru and the central region (Ilāvṛta) as a stable axis can support steadiness (dhāraṇā) and a sense of cosmic order.
The verse does not explicitly mention Śiva or Viṣṇu; it contributes to the shared Purāṇic worldview in which the same supreme governance (Īśvara) is expressed through multiple theological lenses, aligning with the Kurma Purana’s broader Śaiva–Vaiṣṇava synthesis.