Shloka 18
भूमिगुण-प्रश्नः
Inquiry into the qualities of Earth and the classification of beings
आपफस्ततोडन््या विज्ञेया: शेष: संक्षेप उच्यते । ततोअन्य उच्यते चायमेनं संक्षेपत: शृूणु,इन सबको छोड़कर शेष स्थान जलमय समझना चाहिये। इससे भित्न संक्षिप्त भूमिखण्ड बताया जाता है। उस खण्डका मैं संक्षेपसे वर्णन करता हूँ, उसे सुनिये
āpaḥ sarvatodāḥ vijñeyāḥ; śeṣaḥ saṅkṣepa ucyate | tato 'nya ucyate cāyam enaṃ saṅkṣepataḥ śṛṇu ||
Sañjaya said: “Know that, on all sides, the remaining expanse is water. Now I shall state, in brief, what remains besides that—a compact tract of land. Listen as I describe that region concisely.”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse models disciplined narration: first delimit the vast background (the surrounding waters), then present the essential remainder (the land) in a concise, orderly summary—an ethical ideal of clarity and restraint in speech.
Sañjaya transitions into a brief description of a specific land-region, after noting that the rest of the surrounding expanse is water, and invites the listener to hear the concise account.