Shloka 17

Sapta-dvīpa Catalog: Plakṣa to Puṣkara, Mānasottara, and the Lokāloka Boundary

Devanagari script

सुकुमारी कुमारी च नलिनी धेनुका च या / इक्षुश्च वेणुका चैव गभस्ती सप्तमी तथा

Transliteration

sukumārī kumārī ca nalinī dhenukā ca yā / ikṣuśca veṇukā caiva gabhastī saptamī tathā

Translation

Sukumārī, Kumārī, Nalinī, and Dhenukā; Ikṣū and Veṇukā as well—Gabhastī is the seventh, in that order.

Word by Word

• सुकुमारी: Sukumārī (a named river/region)
• सुकुमारी: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सु + कुमारी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन (Singular)

• कुमारी: Kumārī (name)
• कुमारी: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कुमारी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन (Singular)

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

• नलिनी: Nalinī (name)
• नलिनी: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नलिनी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन (Singular)

• धेनुका: Dhenukā (name)
• धेनुका: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: धेनुका (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन (Singular)

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

• या: which/that (fem.)
• या: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन (Singular); सम्बन्धसूचक-सर्वनाम (relative pronoun)

• इक्षुः: Ikṣu (name; lit. sugarcane)
• इक्षुः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: इक्षु (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन (Singular)

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

• वेणुका: Veṇukā (name)
• वेणुका: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वेणुका (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन (Singular)

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

• एव: indeed
• एव: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव (अव्यय)
• Form: अवधारण-अव्यय (particle of emphasis: 'indeed/just')

• गभस्ती: Gabhastī (name; ray/beam)
• गभस्ती: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गभस्ती (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन (Singular)

• सप्तमी: Saptamī (name; 'seventh')
• सप्तमी: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सप्तमी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन (Singular)

• तथा: likewise/also
• तथा: Sambandha (Adverbial/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तथा (अव्यय)
• Form: रीतिवाचक-अव्यय (adverb: 'thus/likewise')

Speaker

Lord Vishnu (speaking to Garuda)

Philosophical Teaching

Concept: Cosmographic knowledge (loka-vyavasthā) as a contemplative aid to grasp vastness and order.

Vedantic Theme: Virāṭ-darśana (contemplation of the cosmic form) leading toward vairāgya.

Application: Use the ordered naming as a mnemonic for purāṇic cosmology; reflect on impermanence and scale to reduce ego-centric fixation.

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: adbhuta

Secondary Rasa: shanta

Geographic Context

Type: dvīpa/varṣa-nāma listing

Cross References

Related Themes: Garuda Purana 1.56.18-21 (continuation: varṣas, Mānasottara, Lokāloka)

FAQs

What is the importance of naming these entities in the Garuda Purana?

This verse preserves a canonical list of named sacred entities (often understood as tīrthas/river-streams or auspicious channels) used for ritual remembrance and traditional mapping of sacred geography.

How does this verse explain the path of the soul?

Indirectly: by cataloging sacred names associated with purification and merit, it supports the broader Garuda Purana theme that ritual memory, tīrtha association, and dharmic observance aid the soul’s auspicious passage.

Practical application of this wisdom today?

Use the verse as a remembrance (smaraṇa) list during prayers or ancestral rites, keeping focus on purity, restraint, and dharmic conduct rather than mere recitation.