Shloka 17

Devanagari script

हैममातङ्गसौराष्ट्राः पौण्ड्रकालिङ्गकोसलाः / वेण्वातटाः ससौवीरा वज्रस्याष्ट विहारकाः

Transliteration

haimamātaṅgasaurāṣṭrāḥ pauṇḍrakāliṅgakosalāḥ / veṇvātaṭāḥ sasauvīrā vajrasyāṣṭa vihārakāḥ

Translation

Haimamātaṅga and Saurāṣṭra; Pauṇḍra, Kāliṅga, and Kosala; the lands along the banks of the Veṇvā, together with Sauvīra—these are declared to be the eight domains (vihāras) of Vajra.

Word by Word

• हैम: golden
• हैम: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: हैम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, प्रथमा (1st), बहुवचन; विशेषणम् (Masculine, Nominative plural; adjective)

• मातङ्ग: (from) Mataṅga region/people
• मातङ्ग: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मातङ्ग (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, प्रथमा (1st), बहुवचन (Masculine, Nominative plural)

• सौराष्ट्राः: Saurāṣṭras (people of Saurāṣṭra)
• सौराष्ट्राः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सौराष्ट्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, प्रथमा (1st), बहुवचन (Masculine, Nominative plural)

• पौण्ड्र: Pauṇḍras
• पौण्ड्र: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पौण्ड्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, प्रथमा (1st), बहुवचन (Masculine, Nominative plural)

• कालिङ्ग: Kāliṅgas
• कालिङ्ग: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कालिङ्ग (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, प्रथमा (1st), बहुवचन (Masculine, Nominative plural)

• कोसलाः: Kosalas
• कोसलाः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कोसल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, प्रथमा (1st), बहुवचन (Masculine, Nominative plural)

• वेणु: of Veṇu (river/region)
• वेणु: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वेणु (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, षष्ठी (6th), एकवचन; समासपूर्वपदम् (Masculine, Genitive singular; prior member for compound)

• आतटाः: those on the bank/shore
• आतटाः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: आतट (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, प्रथमा (1st), बहुवचन (Masculine, Nominative plural)

• स: with
• स: Sahakāraka (Accompaniment/सह)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: स (अव्यय/उपसर्गसदृशः)
• Form: अव्ययम्; सहार्थक-उपपदम् (indeclinable; ‘with’)

• सौवीराः: Sauvīras
• सौवीराः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सौवीर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, प्रथमा (1st), बहुवचन (Masculine, Nominative plural)

• वज्रस्य: of the vajra (diamond/thunderbolt)
• वज्रस्य: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वज्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गे/पुंलिङ्गे, षष्ठी (6th), एकवचन (Genitive singular)

• अष्ट: eight
• अष्ट: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अष्टन् (संख्या-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: संख्याविशेषणम्; प्रथमा (1st), बहुवचनार्थे (numeral adjective; implying plural)

• विहारकाः: varieties/types (lit. ‘wanderers’)
• विहारकाः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: विहारक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, प्रथमा (1st), बहुवचन (Masculine, Nominative plural)

Speaker

Lord Vishnu (narrating to Garuda/Vinata-putra)

Philosophical Teaching

Concept: Knowledge through classification (vibhāga) and provenance (deśa) as a means to judge substances.

Vedantic Theme: Pramāṇa and viveka: discerning attributes by context; empirical ordering within vyavahāra.

Application: When assessing a vajra, note its stated provenance/‘vihāra’ as part of identification and valuation.

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: adbhuta

Secondary Rasa: shanta

Geographic Context

Type: janapada/region and riverine tract

Cross References

Related Themes: Garuda Purana 1.68.18-21 (regional traits, vajra-lakṣaṇa, deva-color mapping)

Characters & Entities

• Vajra
• Saurashtra
• Kalinga
• Kosala
• Sauvira
• Venvā (river)

FAQs

What is the importance of listing regions like Saurashtra, Kalinga, and Kosala in the Garuda Purana?

Such lists function as Purāṇic sacred geography—mapping known lands and peoples to a broader cosmological and dharmic framework, often to situate narratives, lineages, or domains of specific figures.

How does this verse explain the path of the soul in the Garuda Purana?

This particular verse is primarily geographic (naming territories associated with Vajra) rather than directly describing the soul’s post-death journey; it provides contextual cosmography within the broader discourse.

Practical application of this wisdom today?

Use it as a reference point for studying Purāṇic cosmography and traditional place-identities, and as a reminder that dharma literature often embeds spiritual teaching within cultural and geographic memory.