Shloka 19

Jambūdvīpa Orientation: Meru-Centered Varṣas, Dvīpas, Kulaparvatas, Rivers, and Janapadas

Devanagari script

लम्ब (म्पा) का स्तननागाश्च माद्रगान्धारबाह्लिकाः / हिमाचलालया म्लेच्छा उदीचीं दिशमाश्रिताः

Transliteration

lamba (mpā) kā stananāgāśca mādragāndhārabāhlikāḥ / himācalālayā mlecchā udīcīṃ diśamāśritāḥ

Translation

The Lambā (and Kampā), the Stananāgas, and the peoples of Mādrā, Gāndhāra, and Bāhlika—together with the Mlecchas dwelling in the Himālaya—are those who inhabit the northern direction.

Word by Word

• लम्बकाः: Lambakas
• लम्बकाः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: लम्बक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), बहुवचन

• स्तननागाः: Stananāgas
• स्तननागाः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: स्तननाग (प्रातिपदिक) = स्तन + नाग
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), बहुवचन; तत्पुरुषः (स्तन-नागाः)

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयार्थक-अव्यय (conjunction)

• माद्रगान्धारबाह्लिकाः: Mādras, Gāndhāras, and Bāhlikas
• माद्रगान्धारबाह्लिकाः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: माद्र + गान्धार + बाह्लिक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), बहुवचन; द्वन्द्व-समासः (माद्राः च गान्धाराः च बाह्लिकाः च)

• हिमाचलालयाः: those dwelling in the Himālaya mountains
• हिमाचलालयाः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: हिमाचलालय (प्रातिपदिक) = हिमाचल + आलय
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), बहुवचन; बहुव्रीहिः (हिमाचलः आलयः येषाम्)

• म्लेच्छाः: foreigners/barbarians
• म्लेच्छाः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: म्लेच्छ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), बहुवचन

• उदीचीम्: northern
• उदीचीम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: उदीची (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; दिशं विशेषयति

• दिशम्: direction
• दिशम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दिश् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन

• आश्रिताः: having resorted to/inhabiting
• आश्रिताः: Karta (Predicate adjective/कर्ता-सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: आ + श्रि (धातु) → आश्रित (कृदन्त)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त भूतकर्मणि/भूतकृदन्त (past participle); पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), बहुवचन

Speaker

Lord Vishnu (in discourse to Garuda/Vinata-putra)

Philosophical Teaching

Concept: Spatial cognition through sacred geography—mountains as organizing principles for human distribution.

Vedantic Theme: The same Brahman appears as diverse nāma-rūpa across regions; difference is empirical, not ultimate.

Application: Read as part of Purāṇic ‘world-knowledge’ sections; useful for interpreting epic references to Gāndhāra/Bāhlika in a cosmographic frame.

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: adbhuta

Secondary Rasa: shanta

Geographic Context

Type: janapada list with mountain habitat marker

Cross References

Related Themes: Garuda Purana 1.55.17–20 (directional peoples)

Characters & Entities

• Mlecchas
• Nāgas
• Mādras
• Gāndhāras
• Bāhlikas
• Himālaya

FAQs

What is the importance of listing peoples by direction in the Garuda Purana?

This verse supports the Purana’s cosmographic mapping—classifying regions and communities by cardinal directions to describe the world’s layout within a sacred-geographical framework.

How does this verse relate to the Garuda Purana’s afterlife teachings?

Indirectly: it belongs to descriptive cosmography rather than preta/yama narratives, but it contributes to the Purana’s broader worldview that situates ritual and dharma within an ordered cosmos.

Practical application of this wisdom today?

Use it as a reminder to read the Garuda Purana contextually: not every chapter is about death rites—some sections preserve traditional geography and cultural classifications that frame the text’s dharmic universe.