Shloka 16

Adhyaya 54 — Cosmography of Jambudvipa: Continents, Oceans, Varshas, and Mount Meru

Sanskrit

शरावसंस्थितत्वाच्च द्वात्रिंशन्मूर्ध्नि विस्तृतः ।

शुक्लः पीतो ’सितो रक्तः प्राच्यादिषु यथाक्रमम् ॥

Transliteration

śarāvasaṃsthitatvācca dvātriṃśanmūrdhni vistṛtaḥ / śuklaḥ pīto 'sito raktaḥ prācyādiṣu yathākramam

Translation

Weil es die Gestalt einer flachen Schale (śarāva) hat, breitet es sich an seinem Gipfel bis zu einer Weite von zweiunddreißig (Einheiten) aus. In der östlichen und den übrigen Richtungen sind seine Farben der Reihe nach: weiß, gelb, dunkel/schwarz und rot.

Speakers

• Not identifiable from the supplied excerpt (likely within the Purāṇic narrator’s cosmography section)

Verse Rasa

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

Key Themes

• Cosmology
• Sacred Geography
• Directional symbolism

FAQs

What is the philosophical or ethical takeaway?

The verse encodes a Purāṇic habit of mapping meaning onto space: directions are not merely physical but symbolic, each bearing a distinct quality (here, color). It trains the listener to see the cosmos as ordered and intelligible rather than random.

How does this fit the Pancalakṣaṇa (5 characteristics)?

Primarily within Sarga (cosmic structure/creation description) and, more broadly, Sthāna/poṣaṇa-style cosmography as presented in Purāṇas—here focusing on the arrangement of the world-mountain and directional attributes.

What is the esoteric significance?

Directional colors can function as a contemplative schema: the world-axis (Meru) is envisioned with differentiated ‘qualities’ in each quarter, supporting ritual visualization and the idea that dharma and order pervade spatial reality.