Shloka 37

Adhyaya 52: सोमाधारः, पुण्योदानदी, मेरुप्रदक्षिणा, जम्बूद्वीपनववर्षवर्णनम्

Devanagari script

दशवर्षसहस्राणि तत्र जीवन्ति मानवाः मध्यमं यन्मया प्रोक्तं नाम्ना वर्षमिलावृतम्

Transliteration

daśavarṣasahasrāṇi tatra jīvanti mānavāḥ madhyamaṃ yanmayā proktaṃ nāmnā varṣamilāvṛtam

Translation

Dort leben die Menschen zehntausend Jahre. Jene mittlere Region, die ich beschrieben habe, ist dem Namen nach als Ilāvṛta-varṣa bekannt.

Word by Word

• दश: ten

• वर्ष: years

• सहस्राणि: thousands

• तत्र: there

• जीवन्ति: live

• मानवाः: human beings

• मध्यमम्: central (middle)

• यत्: which

• मया: by me

• प्रोक्तम्: described/declared

• नाम्ना: by name

• वर्षम्: region/continent (varṣa)

• इलावृतम्: Ilāvṛta (name of the central varṣa)

Speaker

Suta Goswami (narrating the Purana; conveying the cosmographical account as received in the tradition)

FAQs

What is the importance of this verse in the context of Linga worship?

By situating Ilāvṛta-varṣa as the central region with an extraordinary lifespan, the verse supports the Purāṇic view that sacred geography mirrors cosmic order—an order ultimately governed by Pati (Śiva), the Lord who is worshipped as the Liṅga.

How does this verse describe the nature of Shiva (Shiva-tattva)?

Indirectly: it presents a structured cosmos with designated regions and ordained lifespans, implying an intelligent, sovereign principle behind creation and maintenance—consistent with Śiva as Pati, the supreme regulator of Sṛṣṭi and Dharma.

What ritualistic or Yogic practice is highlighted here?

No specific pūjā-vidhi or Pāśupata-yoga technique is stated in this verse; its focus is cosmography (varṣa-description), which traditionally frames where and how dharma and Śiva-upāsanā are undertaken.