Shloka 8

सप्तद्वीप-समुद्र-प्रमाणम्: प्लक्षादि-द्वीपवर्णनं, लोकालोक-सीमा, चन्द्र-समुद्र-वृद्धिक्षयः

Devanagari script

वर्षाचलेषु रम्येषु वर्षेष्व् एतेषु चानघाः वसन्ति देवगन्धर्वसहिताः सततं प्रजाः

Transliteration

varṣācaleṣu ramyeṣu varṣeṣv eteṣu cānaghāḥ vasanti devagandharvasahitāḥ satataṃ prajāḥ

Translation

In diesen Varṣas, geschmückt mit lieblichen Grenzbergen, wohnen die makellosen Wesen unablässig—zusammen mit Devas und Gandharvas.

Word by Word

• वर्ष-अचलेषु: in the mountains of the regions
• वर्ष-अचलेषु: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वर्ष (प्रातिपदिक) + अचल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), बहुवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (वर्षस्य अचलाः)

• रम्येषु: beautiful
• रम्येषु: Visheshana (Adjectival modifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: रम्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), बहुवचन; विशेषणम्

• वर्षेषु: in the regions (varṣas)
• वर्षेषु: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वर्ष (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), बहुवचन

• एतेषु: in these
• एतेषु: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: एतद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), बहुवचन

• च: and
• च: Avyaya (Connector/अव्यय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चय (conjunction)

• अनघाः: sinless / faultless
• अनघाः: Visheshana (Adjectival modifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अनघ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन; विशेषणम्

• वसन्ति: dwell / live
• वसन्ति: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वस् (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), बहुवचन; परस्मैपद

• देव-गन्धर्व-सहिताः: accompanied by gods and gandharvas
• देव-गन्धर्व-सहिताः: Visheshana (Adjectival modifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: देव (प्रातिपदिक) + गन्धर्व (प्रातिपदिक) + सहित (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक; √सह (धातु) + क्त)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन; तृतीया-तत्पुरुषः (देवगन्धर्वैः सहिताः = accompanied by gods and gandharvas)

• सततम्: constantly
• सततम्: Avyaya (Modifier/अव्यय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: सततम् (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; क्रियाविशेषण (adverb)

• प्रजाः: people / subjects
• प्रजाः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्रजा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन

Speaker

Sage Parāśara (speaking to Maitreya)

Parashara-Maitreya Dialogue

Speaker: Parasara

Topic: Who dwells in those varṣas demarcated by pleasant boundary-mountains

Teaching: Cosmological

Quality: revealing

Cosmological Context

Cosmic Hierarchy: Varshas

Characters & Entities

• Devas
• Gandharvas
• Prajā (beings/subjects)
• Varṣas
• Varṣa-mountains (Varṣācala)

FAQs

What is the significance of the varṣas and varṣa-mountains in the Vishnu Purana?

They define the sacred geographic divisions of the world, with boundary mountains marking distinct regions where beings dwell in an ordered, continuous manner.

How does Sage Parāśara explain the presence of devas and gandharvas in these regions?

Parāśara presents them as co-inhabitants within the cosmic geography—indicating that divine and semi-divine orders participate in maintaining the harmony and regularity of the realms.

What is the theological importance of Lord Vishnu in this context?

Even when Vishnu is not named in the verse, the stable arrangement of regions and their inhabitants reflects a cosmos upheld by a supreme sustaining principle—Vishnu as the underlying sovereign order.